


Cliche Coffee Meeting

by FJSoriano



Category: Purple Hyacinth (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Background Relationships, Belladonna - Freeform, Cliche, Cursing on later chapters, F/M, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I added a bit of Kywi but it grew too big for me to control, I wrote this for Lauki but got ambushed by Butham and Kywi, Kym Ladell - Freeform, Kywi will always and forever take the spotlight from Lauki, Lady Arthingham and Butler are the best ship you cannot change my mind, Light Angst, POV Alternating, William Hawkes - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:41:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 29,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23734786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FJSoriano/pseuds/FJSoriano
Summary: Modern AU of my favorite webtoonA spilled coffee, a stained bag, a redhead in a hurry to not get late and a purple hyacinth as an apology and you get yourself a cliche start to a love story but believe me this is one of the few normal things that will happen.
Relationships: LaurenSinclair/KieranWhite, WilliamHawkes/KymLadell
Comments: 24
Kudos: 101
Collections: Completed stories I've read





	1. The bag looked old and now dirty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clarify the Phantom Scythe is just beginning, Belladonna and Kieran are close friends, Kieran has seen the leader and he was born in Ardahlis but grew up somewhere, he still does some... illegal things but not mass murdering people. And this is an AU because I plan to make reference to some brands and laws that (I think) does not exist in the canon of PH. Oh and the police (Hermann) is really strict regarding time. This will also have some ideas or events that are directly taken from the canon. This will have a happy ending though THAT I assure you

"Look Kieran, all I'm saying is that you just arrived there so you should take a break every once a while, the project is nearly finished anyway" a feminine voice laced with concern coming from the other side of a phone

"Thanks for the concern, Bella but you know that resting is not on my vocabulary and I know that you're just going to use that opportunity to steal my position" the man named Kieran replied with a chuckle "Look I've got to go , I'm heading to town, just text me the location and I'll call you afterwards " he continued before ending the cal. He gathers his things before heading out of his house. 

* * *

Lauren Sinclair was late. Wait, scratch that, she was GOING to be late. Taking a quick look at the clock panic rushes within her as she had only 30 minutes to get to work or her captain will not let her hear the end of it. She grabbed her bag, carrying the 168 page report her captain had made her do, put on her boots and went downstairs.

"Wait, Lady Lauren are you not going to have breakfast?" one of the many maids in the Sinclair Manor asked. "No I'm already running late, Lucy. I think I'll just have coffee at the station.' Lauren replied already halfway through the stairs. " Lady Lauren, there is a new cafe in Rose Street . They have very good pastries, try to grab some on your way to work' Lucy suggested as she knows that her Lady hasn't been eating well since... well since always.

"Thank you Lucy I think I can stop by for a bit if I'm not that late" Lauren said as and quickly made her way to the station. She just hopes she doesn't run into anyone. She just hopes she doesn't jinx herself.  
  


* * *

True to the reports he received about Ardahlis, it was a beautiful city. The streets are clean and you could see breathtaking views left and right. But the beauty of the city is not the only thing Ardahlis is getting known for. No , it is FAR from it actually. The crime rate in Ardahlis is unusually getting higher everyday, everything from robberies to drugs to weapons importation. And you can't really say that their little ' Project 'has nothing to do with it

Casually walking down the street, trying to get his mind off work, he sees a cafe and decides to go get a cup of coffee. The cafe was not fully packed which was weird considering it was 7:20 in the morning, most countries he's been to usually has this as it's rush hour . His phone lights up and he immediately reaches for it, it was a message from Belladonna Davenport.

"The deal will start at 8 am in the Carmine Camellia today. The boss says make sure you don't lose this deal. Wishing you good luck "

Now what did she mean by good luck? He is the best at this profession. He he's done this numerous times, each one more dangerous than the next. Why would this one be so different? He doesn't need luck. Shaking his head he quickly ordered a black coffee, and rushed out of the cafe to get to Carmine Camellia, suddenly he stopped dead on his tracks. Realization had just hit him,and it him hard, he doesn't have a single clue where he's supposed to go. Sighing he takes a sharp turn to his right and accidentally spilled his coffee onto a police woman's bag.

He could really use that luck right now.


	2. Azure blue meets Golden Yellow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgot to mention but the perspective switches between Lauren and Kieran

Kieran White is absolutely having a horrible day. First Belladonna won't stop pestering him to take a break, then he only has an hour to get to Carmine Camellia, wherever the hell that could be, and now not only did he spill his coffee, he was really looking forward drinking it, but it managed to land completely on a woman's bag. If that wasn't bad enough he saw that she was wearing a police uniform, just his luck he spilled his coffee on the bag of a police woman there is no way he's getting out of this situation easily.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't see you there' the woman apologized while trying to dry the bag." No it's my fault I shouldn't be so careless,' he quickly added, 'I am really sorry about your bag. Did any of your things get wet?   
He said while trying to see if the inside was damaged still partly upset with his coffee getting spilled all over the bag  
"Thankfully not, only the outside was- ' the woman raised her head and he was greeted by a pair of golden eyes. 

Why did he stop? It's a very rare color and shade sure but it's not uncommon for him to meet women with beautiful eyes. Something about them feels so familiar. He knows that he's never met her before, that he's certain of, then why does he feel like the could immediately give his trust to this woman like he's known her all his life? 

\---  
Just as I was about to apologize again for bumping into him, I saw a pair of sky blue eyes and a wave of familiarity washed over me. Did I see him somewhere before? Maybe I saw him on patrol once? Quickly snapping of this' trance' or whatever it was, I looked at my watch and- Oh no it's 7:25, I have 5 minutes to get to the station "Miss, are you alright?' I look up at the man before quickly answering" Yes, I'm fine but I really need to go before I get late.'I yelled as I continued running. 

Trying to organize your thoughts and avoid overthinking while running is not an easy task, as any person knows. Especially when it involves trying to not be late, your captain definitely trying to find something to fire you, and the reports you spent all night making possibly getting ruined because of a coffee spill. After what felt like forever I finally see the station in the distance

A few more meters... 

Almost there... 

And.... Made it! 

7:29:50 sure but it I was still made it. William was waiting for me in the entrance, an amused look on his face as he saw me running full speed towards the station. "Still traumatized from the last time you were late Lauren? ' Will jokingly asked as we walked to where the rest of the officers were." No, I just didn't want another scolding. My ears still ring a little 'we share a laugh before starting our usual day; completely forgetting about the man with piercing blue eyes. 

\---  
The woman looked like she was in a hurry to get somewhere and her running continuously in the opposite direction was a very clear indication of that. 'Cant help it ' he thought 'people have jobs to do' and speaking of jobs he stilll need to get to Carmine Camellia. He asks direction from a lady and her (weird-looking) butler nearby and they gladly (and somewhat creeply) told him where it was.

After buying another black coffee,it was by far the best he had and now he regrets spilling the first one even more. 

The Carmine Camellia was just a few streets away from where he was so he didn't need to hurry (learned his lesson from earlier). It was a rather normal looking building, no one would think that one of the biggest deals of drugs and weapons smuggling would happen here. 

As dangerous as this job is, he still finds it rather boring. All these business men arguing over this and that. 'The deal is already finished! Why are you still arguing about this!' he is so close to shouting and pulling out his gun to these people when one of them, Mc Trevor was it?, pointed his finger at him and accused him of not doing his job properly 

Alright calm down, he tells himself, it would be unprofessional. He tries to think of something else to distract him from all these future shooting targets if they don't shut up soon. After 3 long hours of exasperating arguments it finally ends. 

Nothing changes in the deal. No big surprises there what does surprise him is what one of the many messengers tell him; 'Do not try to do anything funny. We can easily see if you're going to betray us. Especially now that were onto this stage. 

"Never crossed my mind 'he retorts back" but honestly, he continues while heading for the door "who would be able to stop us at this point" 

He calls Belladonna about he deal choosing not to tell her about how much he wanted to kill those damn business men.

'Alright I'm free for the day, now what do I do? ' his mind wanders back to the woman from earlier and the state of the bag; it has definitely seen better days. 

He subconsciously went to one of the flowershop near Carmine Camellia. An employee approaches him, "Can I help you with anything sir? She asks in a sweet tone. 

Without skipping a beat he answers "Yes, do you have any purple hyacinths?


	3. Watermelons and... Is that Blush?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Kym went around the station screaming at the top of her lungs that you got a boyfriend. ' Will just says in a casual voice like what kym is doing right now is completely normal. I swear Kym's going to be the death of me . I must've said that out loud because I heard Will mutter "Mine too, but I kinda don't mind now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kywi was just supposed to be at the top of the chapter but it swallowed the chapter whole. Lady Arthingham and her butler will make their debut next chap

"Who else is craving watermelon? I think I can eat an entire one on my own' Kym states while stretching her arms as we enter the headquarters after patrol

"Don't you think you've had enough for a lifetime kym? It's not even that good. ' Will asked in a worn-out voice. Its quite understandable though, kym has been eating watermelons for 5 days straight. There is almost always a slice of watermelon in the breakroom. For break, Lunch, and especially after work. THERE. IS. ALWAYS. WATERMELON. 

"NEVER!" Kym says with pure determination to make him take back his words. Everyone can see the fire in her back as she goes to another argument with William. It's quite a sight really. Kym explaining with fierce determination why watermelons are the best food in the world and William stating reasons that directly contradict everything she says. This happens quite regularly now and it doesn't spark as much interest as it used to. 

"Officer Sinclair, someone left some flowers for you a little after you went on patrol, ' Officer Raymond said while pulling up a small bouquet from his desk

"Well that's weird' I say out while approaching the front desk,completely ignoring the precinct's lieutenant and Sargent go to a head to head battle "Do you know who its from? Raymond just shakes his head

It looked like a normal bouquet of flowers, one that you would expect to be sold at your local flower shop. It consisted of pink tulips with white and purple hyacinths separated by #, all wrapped in a yellow-almost white wrapper all tied by a soft pink ribbon. I look at note attached at the ribbon, it says... 

I'm sorry for spilling coffee all over your bag.  
I hope that the gifts were enough of an apology 

-Kieran White

"Oh it from the man from earlier. He really didn't need to get me anything though" I say to myself, remembering the weird looks everyone was giving me as my bag was soaking wet with a very strong scent of black coffee. I turn to the right and see Will approaching, he looked tired,although his eyes said otherwise, from his argument with kym as she was pointing at him with--is that blush on her cheeks. 

THE KYM LADELL- 'Who are the flowers from? '-

has blush- 'Lauren'- 

on her cheeks " LAUREN! "

"What?!" I turn my head to the source of the sound. William was standing beside me a mix of confusion and amusement in his face. He tilted his head a little and pointed towards the hallway leading to the office "We can go home now. You look like you've been through hell and back. ' I nodded and followed him choosing not to remind myself of the stressful day with Lady Arthingham and her bags. 

"Who are the flowers from? ' he asked while pointing to the bouquet resting in my right hand. In the corner of my eyes I see Kym running towards us in a childish manner. All signs of the blush completely gone. It may just been there for a while but I KNOW what I saw. 

"Oh, its from the guy that spilled coffee over the bag. I was in a hurry and didn't see him' I say while trying to understand what he meant by gifts

"Are you sure that he's not a suitor Lauren?' Kym states in a teasing manner. And Will seems to agree too. 

"No, he's just some guy I ran into this morning and he just sent these flowers as an apology. End of discussion." I say while entering the room, Will holding the door as usual. I caught a slight smile on his face as Kym was entering with her cheeks puffed before running past me and starting a conversation with Lilia, again the blush appearing and disappearing without anyone else noticing. 

I scan the room while approaching my desk. Will left a while ago to report to Hermann. Grumpy cat was polishing his gun as usual, a terrifying sight at first. Kym was still talking to Lilia. All the other officers had either left or was packing and saying goodbyes and see-you-tommorows. I reach my desk and was surprised to see two brown bags sitting on my desk. I look at the nearest person to me,which was unfortunately Randall, and asked what this was doing here. 

"It came with the flowers. I guess Harvey just placed them there as a surprise" he states in a solid voice without even looking up. I should have known not to ask because Kym turned her head at the word surprise. 

"Ooh open it Lauren. I wanna see what your new boyfriend got you! ' Kym says while gleefully walking towards me. The remaining people in the office turned their heads to see what Kym was referring to. Will is also back with confusion on his face. 

I open on of the brown bags and pull out a dark blue leather satchel with the Ardahlis Police Department logo at the center. It looked like it was ment to match our uniforms and it looked expensive not going to lie there. 

"Sooo... it's not from your boyfriend?' Kym asks with a slight smirk and a smug look at her face. Lilia let out a little giggle while most people turned away thinking that the next one is just going to be some chocolate or flowers. 

I let out a sigh as I reach into the next bag"No, he is not my boyfriend. I barely know him and- " I stop mid sentence as I realized at what I was was holding. Kym seems to have noticed too by the slight shock on her face as she walked towards my desk. 

"Is this- ' I ask slowly as kym was already to my right touching the bright red fabric of the bag." It is! How did your boyfriend get this?!' Kym asks in an unusually high voice right next to my ear. Great its ringing now. I got out of Hermann's ear destroying speech about being late but I didn't get to escape Kym's high pitched squeals as she inspected every detail of the ' bag'. Heh, Kym and Lady Arthingham would kill me if they knew that I was just referring to it as a bag. 

It was a Chanel Classic Backpack Bag Red Lambskin. It's made from smooth lambskin leather with dual interior slot pockets as well as an exterior slot pocket and accentuated by gold hardware. And according to Lady Arthingham it is a limited edition and greatly persuade by collectors such as herself. A tour through her shoe collection was the only normal thing that had happened today. Aaaaahhhhhh stop it Lauren. 

She snaps out of her thoughts when she felt a slight tap on her shoulder. She turns her head and saw Will's worried face. "You OK? You haven't been yourself since you got back." Will asks in a concerned tone 

"I'm fine Will. I'm just really tired after the day with Lady Arthingham and her butler. Hold on where's Kym?' Now that I think about it shes not here anymore. I turn my head to look at her table. Her things are still there. 

"Kym went around the station screaming at the top of her lungs that you got a boyfriend. ' Will just says in a casual voice like what kym is doing right now is completely normal. I swear Kym's going to be the death of me . I must've said that out loud because I heard Will mutter "Mine too, but I kinda don't mind as much now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just half of the chapter as I planned but it has been the longest and I wanted to post it as soon as possible.  
> Raymond was a very random name I just came up with to fill the spot. Also Lauren is pretty traumatized because she is working as security of Lady Arthingham and her butler for the week.


	4. 3 Black Coffee in a day is not healthy kids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So,you're asking me out on a date Kieran?' Her expression was still polite but she couldn't hide the amusement that played in her eyes. "In a way I guess I am Lauren.' I subconsciously placed an amused smile on my face before continuing "But you could just call it a tour of the city for a friend in case your boyfriend gets jealous ' I finish then took a sip of my Coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> . Enjoy the chapter!o(^▽^)o

"We just need to finish this paperwork Lauren. This doesn't mean anything" Will almost pleaded to me . I took the 2 paper bags from his hands and spoke slowly ,making sure to imitate Kym's teasing tone earlier.  
"Sure, sure its 'Just Paperwork' haha well have fun" I place my attention to balancing these things in my arms in order to avoid both of their gaze. 

"Alright never mind that, Lauren come on talk to me" Kym whines while pulling my right arm which was a wrong move because I have 2 brown paper bags on my right and on my left I have a bouquet of flowers and heavy stained satchel, holding another pack of paperwork, making me to lose my balance. William fortunately caught my left arm and Kym pushed me back to my feet. I send a small glare at Kym which she just shrugged off and continued to talk. 

"Alright bye Lauren ' Kym shouts from across the street " See you tomorrow'. I just wave back, as much as I could with everything in my arms, too exhausted to shout back. I continued to walk and saw a newly opened cafe. 

The scent of pastries and Coffee enveloped me as I enter the cafe. So this is the cafe Lucy was telling me about earlier I think to myself. It was a rather normal looking cafe. There were 3 baristas behind the black counter tops,all busy with their respective jobs. The pastries were displayed at the right of the cash register. 

I scan the room while waiting in line, already finished choosing my drink. There was not that many people however a certain dark hired male caught my eye. It was the guy from earlier! The one who sent the flowers and bags. What was his name again? I take a peek at the note attached to the flowers. Kieran White, huh? At least it'll be easier to return these ' bags'. 

'Miss, what will you be having " one of the employees ask as I was the next one to order "Oh I'm sorry, I'll just have a Caramel Frappuccino " I hand him my credit card while the other baristas made my order. Taking another glance at Mr. White I quickly thanked the barista and made my way to his table. 

++  
I let out another sigh of satisfaction as I took a sip from my Coffee. I wonder what type of special recipe this cafe uses. I've had 3 cups this day and I'm still not sick of the flavor. As I typed in my MacBook , finishing the report on the deal, a woman approaches me. 

It was the police woman from earlier. I look at her and offer a polite smile which she returned. I noticed her holding the paper bags and flowers I sent to nearest police station. Looks like I sent the gifts to the correct place. 

"Hello, you must be Mr. Kieran White," she starts, offering her hand "I'm Lauren Sinclair, the woman from this morning" I stand up and shake her hand lightly before starting " Please, call me Kieran. Mr. White is too formal' letting go of her hand, I motion my hand to the seat opposite to me "Please, have a seat' still maintaining the polite smile on my face. She returns the smile and walked to the chair. She moves swiftly as she places her drink and the flowers at the table and the paper bags on the floor. I close my MacBook and look up as she was sitting down.

"Kieran, I will just make this short because I can see that you're very busy at the moment." She starts albeit a bit hesitant to call me by my first name " I just want to return the gifts that you sent to the station " my eyebrow rose remembering my day... 

***  
"Oh yes, we do have some purple hyacinths. May I ask what the occasion is?" She states still maintaining a sweet tone. "Oh I just want to say sorry to someone" I answer bluntly still not in the best mood after that dreadful meeting. "Oh actually we already have a bouquet made for just that" she goes behind the counter and pulls up a small bouquet. It was a mixture of hyacinths and tulips. I must've had a smile on my lips because the girl giggled before speaking "I'm sure that she's going to forgive you "

I walk out of the flower shop still slightly embarrassed that I've let my guard down within the first 24 hours of my arrival; all because of a woman no less. I walk around town not looking for anything in particular but a certain bag caught my eye as I browsed the shelves of a local book store. It was a dark blue leather satchel with what I assume was the police department logo. It's being sold with a bunch of books inside. And its on sale too; win win for everybody. 

"I'll just clean up the bag at home. 'I mutter to myself as I pick up the bag," wait, why am I even buying this? I already got her some flowers'. Shaking my head, I walk towards the cashier and again there was that the familiar feeling; the same one I had when I saw the woman earlier, only this time not that 'overwhelming'. It's... well, quite a bizarre experience honestly. It's not everyday that you meet (or bump into) someone and you feel a connection with them. Even more when you feel that twice within the span of a day. I'm not even that much of a bookworm. The only reason I'm buying this is because of the bag, I internally reasoned with myself. Choosing to forget that experience, I payed for the bag and the books and walk back to my house. I walk past the cafe from earlier and couldn't resist buying another Coffee, the flavor is absolutely amazing, then went on my way. 

Straight for 3 streets, then take a right; I remind myself as I walk away from the map of Ardahlis at the town square. On the third street over was the police station. "So this is where she was rushing to, I say to myself examining the building. The style of architecture was Greek, nothing really surprising there. Corinthian pillars near the front door with the words 'Ardahlis Police Department' directly above it. The front door holding the same logo as the bag, so it was the police department logo, there was a lot of buzz going around it though. News reporters, now that the crime rate is getting higher it should be no surprise that the media is currently going haywire over the simplest cases. 

"Master Kieran, a package arrived earlier but it was addressed to Ms. Belladonna. I had the maids put it at your table" I walk past him giving a nod of acknowledgement to Sebastian and head straight to my office. Cleaning up leather was not the easiest thing in the world but I managed to make it look decent somehow. That's a lie. I had the maids clean it after my 3rd failed attempt, too scared to damage the already delicate fabric. "Here's the bag Master Kieran, ' one maid says placing the bag at the desk beside Belladonna's package before swiftly exiting my office. Now that I think about it, what is in the package? I make my way across the room and open the package. She wouldn't mind if I just suck a peek right? And besides its not like I'm going to gift it to the woman from earlier tosses her again and to finally figure out why he feels so familiar [attracted to] with her. Dang it. He needs to stop acting on impulse. 

***

"But why would you return them? ' I start off placing a confused look at my face" Do you not like them somehow? Or do you not like tulips perhaps- "" No!' She cuts me off a bit of alarm at her face "These gifts are very wonderful but I really can't accept these gifts.' She finishes an apologetic look on her face. Huh , most women I've done this to just thanked me a lot of times.Washes really different isn't she? Well then I guess I'll have a bit of fun with her for now. 

"Oh but I spent half of the day feeling horrible about your stained bag and the other half looking those gifts. ' I start placing a little pout on my lips" How about this, I'll take them back if you give me a tour of the city? "There was a pause before she placed her right arm on the table and leaned on her hand.

"So,you're asking me out on a date Kieran?' Her expression was still polite but she couldn't hide the amusement that played in her eyes. "In a way I guess I am Lauren.' I subconsciously placed an amused smile on my face before continuing "But you could just call it a tour of the city for a friend in case your boyfriend gets jealous ' I finish then took a sip of my Coffee.

"I don't have a boyfriend ' she was now holding her drink in her left hand, her head still leaning on her right. Now that caught me off guard but I really shouldn't be surprised. "So you don't have one? I'm very sorry to say this but I don't believe that you're not dating anyone at least' she took a sip of her drink and let out a long sigh" Yes, some guys ask me out on dates but it really doesn't work out. Some are really arrogant, some are already married, you know the works" she really doesn't look like the type of person who would date anyone actually, one look at her stained bag and you can tell that it was at least a few years old. "So our righteous moral officer dates married men,oh officer how scandalous " she put on a deadpan expression before sighing "Moving on from the topic, I give you a tour of the city then you'll take the bags-" "only the Chanel "-the Chanel back? Did I summarize that right?" The amusement was back in her eyes but she still looked pretty distressed, actually not quite more like.... exasperated from all this dating business.

"Yes that's about it. You can choose the when though. I can tell you're a very busy person. Just not on Saturdays, " placing emphasis on very busy. She just smiled before starting" You like to sleep in on Saturdays?' she was struggling so hard to not use a mocking tone as she spoke "Yes, I do. Your not the only one who's busy with their job darling." Politeness was gone from her face now, only amusement and a bit of mockery was left. "Well bad news for you Kieran, my day off is on Saturday." She starts with a smirk, "looks like you'll have to wake up early, darling" finishing with the same tone he used earlier.Oh he is so not going to miss this date.


	5. Festival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hey officer, let's have a little competition. Whoever is better at this little shooting game here wins." he couldn't help but add "I bet its me" at the end. Her eyebrow raised, "Alright,what do I get if I win?"even if she was trying to hide it he could see pure confidence in her eyes and posture. 
> 
> "If you win, then you can choose what you want from me and I'll give it. But if I win, I'll pick you up from your work and we'll continue to tour the city for the next 2 weeks. What do you say darling? ". "I am a police officer. I have been trained to shoot when necessary or on this case to beat cocky dates on festival games" she states while smirking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The POV's are Kieran, Lauren, William, Belladonna, Kieran, William, Kieran, William, Kieran in order:)

Saturday comes by pretty fast for him. A few deals here and there but other than that nothing. It doesn't mean he's unproductive, he's done a lot of things to keep him from being lazy but he still doesn't want to wake up early this Saturday morning. Old habits die hard. He does want to get up........ but he still doesn't have the willpower to start. And he's quite sure that he has a date today and she could be waiting at the cafe, their meeting place, right this second. Not really though, he hasn't turned around to look at the alarm clock at his bedside table. He hasn't even moved his arms nor risen his head. Has this mattress always been this soft? A ring from his phone slightly wakes him up though. Only because if it came from his boss he needs to answer it immediately. 

"Hello, who is this? ' he asks quickly , not bothering to look at the name of the caller. "Hey Kieran, it's me" that voice sounds familiar "I just called to know if your up yet" a small chuckle came afterwards. "Of course I'm awake darling. I've been up for hours." still not fully awake,or even the slightest bit interested in this call, his eyelids start to drop and he begins to slide back under the covers. 

"Well where are you then? If you've been 'up for hours' then why are you still not at the cafe?" Man this woman is persistent isn't she? Who is this one again? He's sure that it's not Belladonna, the woman is not suicidal enough to call him on a Saturday morning. In fact he's made it clear to anyone he meets to not call him on this particular hour , client or otherwise. Speaking of hours, he turns his head to the alarm clock at the bedside table. Even more confusion fills his head as to why this woman was calling him because it was just 8:30 am. 

"Why ? its only 8:30 in the morning?" He asks not being able to hide the confusion in his voice. A small laugh comes from the other side of the phone. "Well its Saturday and your late for our date . You're the one who set this time remember? " He did?" Yes, you did Kieran. But its OK I'll wait since you're still a bit sleepy " How did she know that? Who is this again?" Its Lauren Sinclair. The woman with the bag that you spilled Coffee all over last Wednesday. Remember now? " oh that's why she sound familiar. Another laugh comes from the phone "Well it seems that I was right, you are still sleepy " "Hey I am fully awake, I'll have you know "sleepyness was already gone at this point and soon he remembers what he has to do today. " Bye Kieran " Lauren says before ending the call. 

What did she mean by 'Bye'? Did she mean that the date is cancelled or that she's going to wait for 5 minutes and leave if he's not there yet. Cursing under his breath he takes a quick shower and immediately heads for the cafe. 

\----

'I'll wait at the cafe until you get here' I send a text to Kieran before sipping from my drink. Another Day-off wasted on another horrible date. Well, not really horrible by her standards now, just more of a bad start to what she assumed should be decent date. And its not like she can just leave since she still needs to return the bag (s). Her mind wanders back to their conversation last Wednesday, it felt familiar and comfortable. Whenever we would go on a touchy subject he didn't pry too much, he was respectful and he didn't lie to her; not even once (and he didn't comment on her eyes so that is a big win for her) 

I snap back to reality as Kieran nearly breaks down the door upon entering and immediately scans the crowd. There was around a dozen people in the cafe, it being a Saturday after all. I lock eyes with him and he lets out a sigh of relief before walking to my table. He reached me and I hand him a black coffee. He wordlessly accepted and drank half of the cup. 

"So... ' I start off, still not entirely over the early Saturdays" up for hours huh? ". He looks up from the cup and looks directly at me. And by that I mean directly at me, I can feel those cyan blue eyes staring directly at me. I look away uncomfortable with the stare Kieran is giving me .

"You know darling, at the call earlier you said that the time I said was 8:30 but now I remember that the time I said was 8:45. Which means that you, my dear, has tricked me. " there was no emotion on his face as he said this . "Alright I'm sorry but I really could help it . Did you not receive my text?" I send him an apologetic look. He just looked at his phone and sighed. He gives me a cold hard look and said in a dark tone" Fine. You've got guts and I like that. Only fools have ever dared to trick me. " he takes another sip of the Coffee.

"So, how was your week without me darling?" The hard look in his face was gone and replaced by a more casual look. I wince remembering my week

This is basically how the entire week went:  
Wednesday, I spent half of day as security for Lady Arthingham. Working as security is normally easy but this was Lady Arthingham were talking about . She gave us, me and Kym, a tour of her closet by that I mean a detail by detail explanation of her collections. Not just bags mind you, also her shoes and clothes. 

  
Thursday, Lady Arthingham suggested that we stay for the night which her butler agreed to and nothing can stop lady Arthingham from getting what she wants; it's easier to hold back a hurricane. She had decided to give me a full ' make over' because she said my skin was getting pale. Kym bailed out as soon as she said this. 

Which leads us to Friday, I didn't get to sleep at all because of the make over she decided to give me. My face still hurts but she got my eyebags to be lighter so that's a win. I actually didn't look that exhausted,which is a result from all the things she put on my face, which got someone else to do security for her today. Poor guy. And poor me because now I'm stuck with all this paperwork

  
"Hey Lauren, how have you been ?" William asks as he leaned against my table while examining the pile of finished paperwork , which as shameful for me to admit was not even a third of the unfinished stack next to my right hand. "Tired" I answer without skipping a beat. You can't blame me though. The world has been successful in making this the worst week yet. I hear furious scribbling and turn my head to the source of the sound. It came from Kym's table. She placed the poor paper in a stack then picked it up and place it on Willam's hands. 

"You're giving Lauren too much work William. Look how tired she is!" Kym says in her usual voice, before nearly screaming at the end, and pointing at me. "Look at how her complexion has been getting paler by the day. Oh don't you worry darling-" "Stop kym please" I plead desperately as she was quoting Lady Arthingham from last night. William's eyebrow rose as he looked at me. "Did something happen at Lady Arthingham's house last night Lauren?" I shuddered not wanting to remember the horrible experience. Will seems to have gotten the hint and just let out a small chuckle. A normal Friday I guess. 

I snap out of my thoughts when I felt a tap on my hand. "You've been staring in space for 5 minutes. Is everything alright?" Kieran asks concern in his voice. "Yeah! I'm fine" I enthusiastically slap my cheeks before saying "This week has been horrible. I really don't want to remember anymore" he just chuckled and said with a cheeky grin, "Well I know what I'm going to talk to you about now" 

\----  
"Why did I agree to this?" William Hawkes asks himself as Kym Ladell drags him around the cowboy themed shop. Apparently Kym saw this 'store' while strolling through town but she didn't want to go alone, so there he was the Lieutenant of the 11th precinct in a cowboy themed store with a bunch of cowboy hats on his head, and a pile of clothes in his arms. He saw Kym walking towards him with a rope and boot with her usual energy. Trowing the things at him, he means literally throwing it at him, Kym continues to look at all the other stuff. 

"That was probably the most embarrassing ten minutes of my life. And why did you make me come with you in full uniform while you're on civilian clothes?" "Stop nagging me Will. Lauren has a date so I can't take her" but we both know that we'll save her later eventually she grumbled the last part under her breath. William heard her well but he couldn't help but ask again what it was that she said.

Before he could though, a private car surrounded by police motorcycles passes by him. The plate number was Y59 AGN, he mentally ran the list of security given for the day. Y59 AGN. Y59 AGN. Belladonna Davenport, a corrupt lawyer yet very powerful in her field. 

Her record is clean but not innocent. She has defended obvious criminals, and even against countries itself, in court and won. That is far from the only reason why people are unsettled though . She is known to betray her client if she sees a higher price. She can win any case but her loyalty comes at a cost, and you have to make sure that cost is high enough for her not to double cross you. A double edged sword or as Kieran had put it, still on her snake phase. His stomach turns at the thought of such a corrupt individual roaming the streets of Ardahlis. 

  
"Hey, William are you OK?" Kym was infront of him concern barely obvious in her face but evident in her eyes. "Ah, yes" his eyes trail to the back of the car "I was just distracted I suppose". "Hey we need to leave like immediately "she whispered as she was starting to drag him.

" Why what's wrong? " looking around he sees nothing that could pose as a threat or to make her uncomfortable. "The women around us were shooting daggers at me. Now I know how Lauren feels" all he could do was laugh before matching up her pace, ignoring the looks they received on the way.   
\---

A private plane lands smoothly at the runway of the airport. Inside it was a woman with curly pale pink hair, orange almond eyes and bright red lips lightly sipping on her martini. Belladonna Davenport. A name known by the world as one of the best. She continues to walk black gladiator heels brushing lightly against the soft fabric of the red carpet leading to the limousine; ignoring the looks and whispers she receives everywhere she goes. Rumors of her arrival in Ardahlis had spread like wildfire almost business men and police alike. Within 2 hour duration of her flight, she was already in the list of people given security of the police. 

  
Most civilians thought nothing of her arrival, thinking that she was just another tourist. Being one of the most well known lawyers in the world had its perks, traveling to her hearts desire is definitely one of them but this time she was not here for leisure; no, she was here for another reason, a much darker and sinister reason. 

Looking out the window of the limo, she sees civilians casually having fun, unknowing of what is about to come to their city. She catches a glance of a police officer with blonde hair giving her a cold look; maybe not everyone is unaware

\---

"And over there is the beach and the resorts near the main road-" "I asked you to tour me because you seemed fun but now you're acting like those tour guides" "-the airport is on the opposite direction of the beach but its just a 5 minute drive because of the newly built road. Now let's go to the south, there are plenty of good shops there" Giving a sigh of resignation he follows Lauren through the streets. A tiny celebration catches his eye as they maneuver through the crowd, quickly grabbing Lauren by the wrist he starts to pull her to the stalls that had been set up at the sidewalk "What are you doing?" She asks quite annoyed. "That part of town looks fun. Let's go check it out" he answers without looking back at her ignoring her protests. 

It was a small celebration for the bountiful harvest for the year. Each stall contained it own little charm. Some were selling jewelry made from shells from the beach, some liquor made from sweet grapes, and there was a few stalls dedicated for games, just what you would expect at a local festival. Delight and promotional shouts filled the air as they walked past each stall, not really buying anything but looking through each product like a bunch of tourists. From the corner of his eyes, he sees Lauren casually smiling before she starts to drag him to another stall. 

"Hey officer, let's have a little competition. Whoever is better at this little shooting game here wins." he couldn't help but add "I bet its me" at the end. Her eyebrow raised, "Alright,what do I get if I win?"even if she was trying to hide it he could see pure confidence in her eyes and posture. 

"If you win, then you can choose what you want from me and I'll give it. But if I win, I'll pick you up from your work and we'll continue to tour the city for the next 2 weeks. What do you say darling? ". "I am a police officer. I have been trained to shoot when necessary or on this case to beat cocky dates on festival games" she states while smirking.

Quickly paying, both of them reached for the available guns on the counter. They had attracted a small crowd but neither seemed to notice. They meet each others gaze before their eyes focused on the target in front, posture relaxed and confident. They lift the gun at the same time. A red dot in the middle of a piece of paper. "I am going to win this" both thought out loud at the same time before firing their first shot. 

1st shot

2nd shot

3rd shot

"No. It can't be" 

"I'm afraid it is. **You lost** " 

\----

  
"Hurry up grandpa" Kym complains her arms crossing "This festival only happens once a year and I can't believe that I'm wasting time waiting for you ". All Lieutenant Hawks could do was sigh as he follows the lively bluenette. She suddenly stops in her walking causing them to collide.

"Why did you stop?" He asks in annoyance, picking up the everything kym bought earlier because OF COURSE she made him carry it. He's a gentleman after all Kym's voice rings in his head for a few second before he looks up at her and only to be met with a pair of dull brown eyes and an emotionless face. 

Standing up, he asks carefully; "Kym?" he asks while waving his hands over her face. " Kym?" He asks again this time louder while lightly shaking her shoulders. She stops him from shaking her shoulders and turns to her right. Even though she reacted, he didn't let out a sigh of relief instead he followed her, although keeping a safe distance from her.

It was another souvenir shop, well not really, it its a collection of various things ranging from conch shells, to an antique vase and black pearls. Kym seems to only see one thing though, a music box. It was playing a melodious tone that you wouldn't really hear because of the low volume; part of his mind wonders if that was the reason she suddenly stopped.

She then again turns to the side, heading for the other stalls. "Kym?" She turned to look at him, confusion evident in her expression. "Oh, William what are you doing here?" "You dragged me here remember. You showed up at my house then forced me to come with you to a cowboy themed shop." He wasn't sure what expression he had on his face but it didn't matter because kym had busted out laughing at the first sentence. He made her smile, that's all that mattered now. 

\----

_I can't believe this. Four years of continuous police training..._ Lauren continued to mumble under her breath. Kieran only watched in amusement as his date was stabbing the slice of chocolate cake in front of her. He doesn't know what her favorite flavor is but she didn't really care. "Well, officer it seems that you need to hit the department gym more often." He mused which only gave him a glare in return. He doesn't let his smirk fall as he took a piece of his strawberry cheesecake.

All she could do was take a deep breath, several breaths actually, before saying" You won that means I'll still go on and another date with you right? "

" And I'm going to pick you up after work" he can tell that she didn't hear this part of the deal by the stunned expression on her face. "WHAT?!" He only took a bite of his cherry cheesecake tuning her out as she rambles on. 

\----

"Hey is that Lauren?" Kym grabbed my arm and points to a redhead a few meters away. She wasn't alone there was a dark hired man carrying a bunch of prizes from different booths. She turns to the right and it was Lauren! She looked quite pissed though. Grabbing Kym's arm they easily blend into the crowd to avoid being seen by their friend. 

"I don't get why I'm even doing this with you" Lauren states in a dark tone glaring at the man. They both exchange a look knowing what they had to do. 

"Hey Lauren there you are ! You're mother had a heart attack! We have to go to the hospital! "Kym shouts grabbing Lauren's arm and running off; leaving Lauren's date confused with a bunch of prizes in his arms. I run in their direction trying to catch up. 

"What happened? Kym!" Lauren finally comes to her senses as we slowed down from running. 

"What are mad at us for? We just saved you from that horrible date" kym says with a pout on her lips. Cute. What?! No no no no no it was not! 

Lauren paused for a solid minute before laughing. "Guys, I was actually having a good time. I was just mad at him because he beat me in every game there is" Lauren struggles to say in between laughs. Me and kym looked at each other and soon enough were laughing alongside Lauren. 

"Were sorry Lauren. We thought it was another one of your horrible dates." I send her an apologetic look after we calmed down from laughing. 

"Its alright will. Its going to be quite the phone call later" There was no sign of irritation on her face but her eyes looked brighter than usual. 

\----  
"You're home late Kieran" 

"What are you doing here Belladonna?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! This is what 2 weeks of quarantine boredom looks like.


	6. Going home late should not be normal to anyone Lauren

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Lieutenant and Sergeant could only watch as their friend drove off with a handsome man on a luxury car with little to no protest. 

2:45 pm

2:47 pm

2:51 pm

The ticking of the clock beside me feels much faster and terrifying than the last. Each second counting down to the end of our work day. Normally this would excite me but not this time. I feel no excitement whatsoever, only dread and despair for what is about to come when the clock hits 3:00. 

_Maybe I should just work longer than usual. About an hour of two, that should get him to leave,_ I grinned to myself , _I'll even catch up on paperwork, killing two birds with one stone,_ my grin widened and the stack of unfinished paperwork suddenly became much more important. 

\-----

"Belladonna what are you doing here? I have the situation under control " Placing the prizes, from the festival games, down at the table, and took the seat in front of her

"It seems that the leader wants to make this the biggest one yet, so he sent me to accompany you" she replied with a shrug, not really caring about anything unless it had something to do with her reputation. 

"So he's doubting me now" I stood up and made my way to the kitchen, half worried that I'm losing the leader's favor other half calm because he can't really replace me

"No. As a matter of fact, he has a new mission for you already. It'll be done in a week." Holding up a stack of papers, she shoots me a small glare, **don't you dare lose this case or else.**

\-----

"Sinclair you're still here?" a random guard pops his head in the office pointing his flashlight in my direction 

"Yeah I'm just finishing up some paperwork. See you around!" I wave my pen in the air giving him a small smile

My paperwork has been finished a few hours ago, I'm currently working on Kym's since I know that this report needs to be handed in tomorrow. This is just was just supposed to be plain procrastination to avoid getting picked up by Kieran but I have lost track of time. It's 7:34 PM. _I'll just finish this one and then I'll go home ,_ I say to myself pushing the guilt of avoiding Kieran for 4 hours. 

The Police headquarters is always so creepy at night. Granted it never contained that much joy and energy but it was still unnerving nonetheless. 

Approaching the main door, I see a man leaning one of the pillars, a car parked a few meters from him. Panic rushes through my veins. 'What is he still doing here?! ' my mind internally screams as I slow down my pace

He turns his head, his eyes meeting mine. I couldn't read his expression; it seems to be a mix of boredom, and amusement. Making up a list of excuses on my head I carefully approach him, a weary smile on my lips. 

"Oh hey Kieran you're still here? You shouldn't be out at this time you know" his expression didn't change as I spoke, instead he looked at me in the eye once more before unlocking the car and opening the door of the passenger seat. Having no choice I walk towards it and take a seat

He starts up the car and started talking once we were a meters away from the White building; " You know darling, 4 hours alone gave me a lot of time reconsider, should I just leave and forget about you or do I bother to ask why you didn't appear yet?" He stopped the car and gave me a light glare. 

"And what did you decide?" I ask firmly

"Well obviously you're in here with me, so my curiosity appears to have gotten the upper hand this time. After all we made a deal that I'm going to pick you up for 2 weeks and lucky for you I am a man of my word. So officer, why did you only go out now? Did you forget that I'm going to pick you up or you simply didn't care" he spoke quickly not removing his eyes from mine. 

Taking a deep breath, I look at him in the eye before speaking slowly "I had a lot of paperwork to catch up to. A few reports needed to be handed in first thing tomorrow morning. I know that I made you wait. I'm sorry" 

Accepting my apology, he starts up the car and takes seemingly random turns. "Unlike you I haven't wasted the past four hours stuck in an empty office. I've been asking passerby's for where its best to go to at night. Safe but beautiful.Your type of thing"

A few more turns and we arrive at the bridge. 

"Why did you bring me here?" There were several police officers a few meters away. So this is what he meant by safe, I think myself 

"Well officer, it's a beautiful night and it'd be a shame if we just let this opportunity pass. " he stepped on the railings and shifted his weight from one leg to another. 

"Do you not have anything else to do? I'm starting to think that you're actually unemployed" I made my way to the railing, an annoying smile on my face

He took offence in and pointed his finger at me "Hey! That is just plain insulting. I'm doing you a favor of being here with me. Do you have any idea how many women would sell their souls just to have a date with me?" I look into the water pretending that I couldn't hear him.

When was the last time I looked at my reflection. Messy red hair, too busy to brush it in the morning; dark eye bags, from all the sleepless nights I place myself in; my skin was starting to become pale again. I look like a mess, I didn't need my ability to know that it wasn't a lie . 

"Something wrong?" I turn my head in Kieran's direction and gave a small shrug, turning my attention back to the water. After a few minutes of this Kieran spoke up " It's getting late, I better take you back to your house" not finding any reason to stay I follow him, although keeping my eyes solely on the stars. 

" Where is your house?" He starts up the car, opening the passenger's door for me before going in himself

"Already want to meet the parents huh?" I ask with a smirk to be met with a light glare

"I'm asking because I don't want you walking in the middle of the night. " he takes his eyes back to the road 

"Alright mom. Take 2 rights then straight ahead. " I leaned back and turned my head to the window, praying to the Gods that everyone is already asleep. The rest of the ride was silent, neither of us knowing what to say.

"Right over there, in front of the black gates. " I point towards the Sinclair Manor. A few lights were on but its mostly laying dormant .

"I'm guessing that going home late is pretty normal for you and everyone is already asleep, and I don't want to disturb anyone so I'll just leave you be. "He opens the door and offered his hand , which I reluctantly took. 

"The lady has been delivered safely. You can go to sleep now, too" I give him a light salute which made him let out a small chuckle." Bye Lauren, see you tomorrow. Make sure you get some sleep. Good night"I give him a wave before heading back inside. 

A shadow emerges from the shadows scaring the world out of me. "Lucy! God, you scared me." I let out a sigh of relief seeing the familiar maid. 

"Good evening Lady Lauren. You're home late work again?" I made my way to the stairs, exhaustion slowly 

  
"Yeah, I'll go catch up on some paperwork left. You should sleep soon" 

"Yes I will. Your uncle and parents are already asleep, have a good night nonetheless Lady Lauren" She gave a polite curtsy before she went out of my line of sight 

I made my way to my bed feeling too tired from the day to change into my nightgown. Finding no reason to stay up, all my paperwork was done earlier, I did my nightly habits, feeling strangely calm after my little detour with Kieran. 

Speaking of Kieran , I knew that the attention he's giving me was normal but it still didn't settle well with me. Every time I see him, I get happy, calm, surprised, annoyed all at the same time. He always has something up his sleeve, from the bag to amazing shooting skills that may even match Kym's, I can't help but wonder what surprise he has tomorrow. 

With a sigh, I push all thoughts away as sleep was slowly approaching, the thought of Kieran picking me up tomorrow giving more excitement than fear. 

\------

"LAUREN!" Kym Ladell shouts at the top of her lungs as she tackles Lauren into the death trap she calls a hug. Officer Sinclair has done Sergeant Ladell's appointed paperwork, as it was found on the officer's desk in the early morning. The rest of the office had laughed, already used to the weird antics of their Sergeant and the overworking habits of the officer. 

"Can't... breathe. Gelp" Lauren raised her free hand in the air waving it around as she struggled to talk with the limited amount of air she had before eventually falling unconscious. Kym reluctantly let go and watched in horror as her savior's body fell limp on the ground and gasped for air like a dead body being brought back to life. 

Lieutenant Hawkes went to Lauren's side, elevated her head and spoke slowly "Lauren, are you alright? Can you hear me? Blink twice if yes" He was doing his normal lieutenant duties but this was a crime of the highest order for the women of the Hawkes fanclub, close friend or otherwise.   
  
Once everything had calmed down, everyone went on with their daily duties. 

  
\----

"So, McTrevor huh, this is going to be an easy case" 

"Don't underestimate the enemy Purple hyacinth. We still don't know how the court operates" 

"How is this going to be any different? Same old corrupt judge, same old corrupt system, nothing is going to be different. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date in 30 minutes" 

"Already? You're here for what? 3 days" 

"You're engaged so you have no right to tell me anything"   
\----

Walking down the street, Kym and William was once again in another argument and a relieved looking Lauren a few steps behind them. "Whatever, I'm never going to talk to you again! See how you deal with that!" Kym crosses her arms as she let out a little puff and a near undetectable pout on her lips. 

"I am your lieutenant. You can't not talk to me" he pauses for a moment as if reconsidering his words. "You know I actually wouldn't mind that as much... . yeah, actually I think I can make that work" he was mumbling to himself ignored by the two ladies trailing behind him. 

" Lauren, why are you looking like that?" Kym Ladell begins the series of continues question to catch up to fate with her best friends life. 

"I'm just happy that I didn't see anyone that's all" with her smile growing in size, so did Kym's questions as she prepared for the onslaught. Before she could though, a black Maserati GranCabrio, with no one else but a handsome dark hired man in it , stops right beside them. He turns his attention to the red hired officer and gave off a charming smile. 

"Hello Lauren. I'm sorry that I'm a bit late. I had some errands to run" Lauren's expression was as if her entire fire had crashed in front of her in just a few sentences. Kym and Will both exchanged looks. No doubt that this was one of Lauren's suitors but Lauren allowing herself to be picked up after work? And Lauren's suitors barely get a second date, this one appears to have more than the magic number. Oh, they had questions alright but it seems that their answers Will come on another day because Lauren rode in the car after saying a small goodbye. 

The Lieutenant and Sergeant could only watch as their friend drove off with a handsome man on a luxury car with little to no protest. 

"You wanna get watermelons?" Kym enthusiastically asks before dragging him to the marketplace and to the nearest watermelon stall. 

"I thought you weren't talking to me" True that they need speak to each other at work but not after it. His plans might get handy in the future though, but right now... 

"Yeah, but Lauren said she'd walk with us but that didn't happen so I'm not going keep that promise" she nonchalantly shrugged and dragged Will faster to the stall. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to write in first person for Lauren but I am horrible at it. A bit shorter than usual but I think it'll do.


	7. Flower field

Lauren Sinclair was pissed ; not mad nor upset, just plainly pissed. Not only did Kym and Will see Kieran and his stupid flamboyant car, she is almost certainly going to get killed by every woman in the 5 km radius once she gets out of the car with Kieran; not immediately but placed on hit lists. Talk about a bad date. 

Turning her head, he appears to be completely nonchalant about this entire ordeal but she can see amusement in those piercing blue eyes. 

"Did you really have to pick me up infront of my friends?" Her tone came out a bit sharper than she preferred earning a raised eyebrow and a slower speed in response. 

"Would you have preferred it if I picked you up infront of the headquarters? Because I am quite sure that that can cause quite a few rumors." 

"Forget what I said,where are we going?"

"I don't know a flower field or something. I want to learn flower meanings. You seem to be the type to like those sort of thin-." 

Dylan. 

Dylan. 

"Do you want to grab a cup of-" 

Dylan. 

"Lauren?" 

Dylan. 

"Lauren!" A loud shout snaps Lauren out of her thoughts. It shouldn't even be called that actually. It's nothing but memories of one person. From the corner of her eyes, she sees a white hired boy selling newspapers in this time of day. She subconsciously went out of the car, Kieran following right after, and bought a newspaper from the boy. Making sure to pay the boy extra, she drags Kieran by the hand back to the car, the ache in her heart not easing a bit

"I'm sorry, maybe I'm just more tired than I thought. I'd like to go home" she looks out of the window, avoiding his gaze. He reluctantly starts the car and drove further away from the city. 

"What are you doing? If you have other plans then just drop me here, I'll take a cab" she's genuinely surprised that she managed to speak without her voice croaking. Her emotions are all over the place that she doesn't know what's happening. 

"Not until you tell me what's wrong darling" granted he was throwing fuel into the fire but he needed to know what was going on. Not getting response he speeds up, leaving Ardahlis' skyscrapers to get smaller and smaller until it wasn't visible anymore. 

He turns his head to look at her. She was struggling so hard not to cry. Mentally cursing himself for this stupid idea, he starts to turn around only to be stopped when she started talking. 

"I had a friend who really liked flowers. He would always bring one when we met and than he would tell me the meaning behind each one. " a fond smile lit up on her lips but disappeared soon" He would sometimes test me to know if I remember the meanings...He was in a car accident and... he... I hate it but I can't ... " her tears are so close to falling but she's refusing to let them fall. Pulling her close, he starts to # her back and whisper comforting word while she hid her face in his dress shirt, still not letting tears fall. He didn't need a further explanation. 

_First love_

Once she seemed to calm down, he offers her a smile and suggested that they walk for a bit. Like his first idea, this turned out horrible. She looked like she was going to cry when she saw the field of tulips and white daisies laid right before them. 

Rows of red, yellow and pink tulips for miles and miles. 

"Quite a find isn't it?" An old man walking towards them. "You're not the first couple to get lost on their way" 

"Were not a couple." Lauren turned to the side embarrassed by the misinterpretation; Kieran mouthed _not yet_ when he was out of Lauren's line of sight. Regardless the man chuckled and proceeded to tell them the meaning behind every color of the tulips. Kieran listened intently while Lauren only half listening, already knowing the meaning and instead focused on the sunset. 

The sun had fully set when they were on their way back. The air of the cold night not ruining the warm feeling she felt for finally telling someone how she truly felt. 

"Do you want to stop by anywhere?" 

"No , just keep driving" with a smirk on his face he continued to drive all the while humming to Dory's' Just keep swimming'. Lauren started humming along until she realized what she was doing. The punch on the arm would definitely leave a bruise. And a kiss on the cheek would definitely be remembered.   
  


* * *

"Oficer Sinclair, you will be the security for Ms. Belladonna Davenport"

  
Hermann's voice repeated in my head as I walked slightly behind the pink hired beauty. She decided that she wanted to tour the city and appointed me as her tour guide. This feels familiar. I took her to where I brought Kieran last Saturday, before we went to the festival of course.

"Do you know any good Coffee shops around here?" 

"Yes, there's one one this street." 

"Then lead the way officer" I hesitantly walked slightly in front of her feeling her sharp eyes on me as we walked towards the cafe. 

She was quite nice honestly, very graceful and polite (unlike SOME people). She wasn't much of a smiler and she is definitely a good interrogator. She had to go back to her house after an hour or two because of an emergency that she didn't want to involve me in. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's short but I've been procrastinating for around a week now and I was starting to feel bad about not uploading. Next chapter is quite good tho


	8. What exactly does emergency mean now-a-days?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe it's just friend of his, the second she thought of this the woman leaned forward and placed a kiss on his cheek. When she leaned back she finally knew why the woman looked familiar. It was Belladonna

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lauren's Point of View but in 3rd person

"Lauren, tell me who he is. Lauren, tell me who he is.Lauren, tell me who he is. Lauren, tell me who he is" Sergeant Kym Ladell rambles on and on stepping closer to the redhead Officer

The said Officer only sighed and stepped closer to her lieutenant. She turned her head back to the Sargent before mouthing _later_ and turning her attention to the crowd. From the corner of her eyes she sees a whiff of pink hair before it disappeared completely. 

An alarm goes off in front of the patrol and came out a woman carrying a small bag of stolen jewels. She turns her head and immediately sees the squad of police officers in front of her. She pulls out a dagger and shakily points it out. The squad retorts by pulling out their guns. The woman then runs away. 

"Officer Sinclair and I will persuade. Sergeant Ladell, the patrol is in your charge. We'll catch up to you as soon as your done with her," William shouts before they started running towards the thief. 

Running side by side, William and Lauren nodded at each other, starting the first part of their strategy. Lauren easily jumps up to the roof while William continues to pursue the thief from behind. Lauren jumps off the roof and lands a few meters away from the woman. Shocked the woman turns around only to be met with the lieutenant at her back. 

"Surrender and we'll resolve this calmly ma'am. An entire squad of police saw you do that- "he calmly explains, still not lowering his gun " -There's no use trying to run" Lauren continues 

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law" the lieutenant nodded to the officer. She nodded as a response before starting to run and kicked the dagger out of the woman's hand. "You have the right to an attorney-"

"-If you cannot afford one" William made use of the opportunity and handcuffed the woman. Lauren caught the flying dagger and pointed her gun and finished the Miranda warning "-One will be provided for you in the interrogation room" 

She lets out a sigh, feeling the adrenaline wash away. She loved being a detective, analyzing clues and pinpointing possible suspects, but she also loved running after criminals beside her coworkers. It really didn't matter if she was a detective or an officer, she was fully content whether be it detective or officer. 

She turned her head to the bag of jewelry, now laying at the ground. "You have refined taste in jewelry, but your shoplifting skills lack that level of elegance"

"Lieutenant Hawkes speaking. Were at the intersection of Delph Street and Saint Isidore Street. The suspect is in custody. Please send a-" 

" **PLEASE ITS FOR MY MOTHER**. I know what I did was wrong but **she's I'll and needs money for her treatment** " 

He shook his head and continued his report. "Yes please bring a car over . Thank you" Lauren didn't miss when Will's eyes dulled as he looked down at the pavement. 

"Even IF it was for a noble cause, stealing is still illegal. You didn't hurt anyone so you light get away with just a fine. You're more use to your mother ignoring you weren't being bars, so next time think twice before robbing a jewelry store in broad daylight" 

Soon enough, other officers arrived and took her to the station. They gave their statements and signed the papers and were soon left standing side by side.

She forced a smile on her face and turned to Will. "Lets go before Kym takes over the entire city" as if on cue a shout was heard belonging to none other than Kym Ladell. 

"IN STEP LIMP MEATBAGS!" 

"Or before she starts hunting down watermelons instead of directing the patrol" 

They both share a laugh, and for a moment nothing was wrong in either or their lives. But life doesn't work like that. 

"Hey Will, I know that you don't like talking about your problems but... something is bothering you right?" Even though he was wearing a mask, she could still see that they were dull, like so long ago. " Is there anything I can do to help? "

"Thanks Lauren, I won't lie and say it's nothing but... You know I'll be fine. I can handle it " Those words, that smile, he never lies but... 

"Is it your mother?" 

"Among other things yes... I'm sorry. I-" She placed a hand on his shoulders and gave him a small smile. 

"It's okay. I know. I know that you don't like talking about your problems and you don't have to" she still remembers their very few fights because he won't tell her anything and she won't either. 

"You know what, we should hang out one of these days. It'll take your mind off of things at least" he smiled a little, not against the idea. 

"That's a great idea. I'm sure a little break wouldn't hurt you either, you **_recidivist workaholic_** " 

"I'm afraid well have to go in disguise or the women of the precinct will burn me at the stake." 

"Hahaha! Then I'd fear for them and not you" a small smile rest on her lips as she looked at her long time friend

"Alright, lets go" he started to pick up his pace to catch up with the rest of the officers but Lauren didn't move

_When will you finally let down your walls Will?_

_You've had them up for so long._

_You need to break them before they break you._

Her mind goes back to when they were 12, when their problems were starting, but they didn't realize it; then when they were 17 when they realized the weight of everything they were carelessly handling; then a few moments ago when he spoke the same words with the same tone with the same facial expression. 

**I'll handle it**

They were only a few meters apart but it felt like millions of miles, getting further and further away each passing day. 

_

They finally caught up to the squad after a few minutes of walking. Kym slammed her superior aside to greet Lauren for coming back. 

The rest of their patrol was normal once again. It started to snow continuously for an hour and the team was going back to the station after their patrol. 

As they were crossing the bridge, Lauren sees Kieran from the other side of the street. Her coworkers are only a few meters away so she can go for a small chat. She doesn't normally feel happy when she sees someone she knows but he is an exemption. _He's an exemption to a lot of things at this point now actually..._

Just as she was about to call him, she sees a woman; with familiar looking pink hair; beside him, clinging to his arm and sharing a laugh with him...

 _Maybe it's just friend of his_ , the second she thought of this the woman leaned forward and placed a kiss on his cheek. When she leaned back she finally knew why the woman looked familiar. It was Belladonna. 

_Maybe this was her emergency?_ Why was her chest heavy? It's not a big deal at all. She tries to not think about it too much but the way that they were both carelessly laughed and walked away from her added to the weight in her chest. 

She feels rush of emotions, ranging from anger to hate to... jealousy. No! Why would she be jealous? They're just dating and not even official, so why would she be jealous? 

Her phone lightly vibrates and she hesitantly but immediately picked it up. A single message from Kieran. 

I won't be able to pick you up today. Friend is visiting. Sorry

That really doesn't help clear things up. Should she reply? Maybe she should reply? Wait. No! Don't reply. But it would be rude to... still don't reply. 

Her thoughts continued to go on war with each other for the next minute or so before she finally gathered the strength to reply. 

No problem. I can always walk with Will and Kym. 

It doesn't help clear things up but at least it'll get her mind off him... _for now_

  
"Hey Lauren, lets go watch a movie after work today" Kym Ladell being random was an absolute understatement. Her mind wanders back to Will's words earlier. _He could use a break ~~; and I can use some alone time.~~_

"Actually, uncle wanted me to help him with something so I can't come" Kym's shoulders slumped a little. Disappointment was visibly seen on her face and posture. 

"BUT..."Kym nearly jumped in joy "I know that the trilogy to Will's favorite series was out last week, just go ask him" 

Kym crossed her arms and placed a hand on her chin. She was trying to be funny but she actually looked very deep in thought. After a minute or two (very scary minutes of silence for the squad), she went back to her usual cheery self and went on to annoy William into hanging out after work. She didn't realize that she was asking him out on a date but Will did... he realized it immediately but still said yes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first part was so cringey I know I'm sorry(╥_╥). I'm not good with that genre but I tried... and failed horribly. I kinda like the last part though, writing it was so much fun.


	9. Relationships were never easy to start, much more to break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New relationships begin beautifully. Old ones shatter dangerously. Which one will make it to the end? Only turning the pages can tell.

"2 tickets to Before Midnight please!" 

William didn't know what was happening in his life anymore. Their shift ended an hour ago and Ladell thought it was a good idea to watch movie right after their shift. It's not like he had much of a choice, she threatened to tell the entire precinct that he left a lady all alone, it would ruin his reputation as a good and responsible lieutenant; his head was throbbing from the memory alone. 

"So, what are we watching?" Kym happily asked handing him his popcorn when they reached their seats. 

"Before midnight. Last in the trilogy" he partly wondered why he was even bothering to watch this with her. 

"Oh, I haven't watched any of that yet" the way she said it so nonchalantly only added to the look of disbelief he was giving her.

"You... haven't watched the first two films? **How?** " Disbelief was only growing more and more by the second as she nodded her head and took a handful of popcorn. 

"First time I've heard of it actually" that sentence caused a vein to pop. It was bad enough that she hasn't even heard of the films, but to watch the third one was just plain despicable. 

"Alright, let's go to my house. We are going to watch the first two movies even if it's the last thing I do!" He declared to himself before forcefully dragging Kym to his house. 

The next 6 hours was spent on watching the Before Sunrise and Before Sunset on Netflix (7 if you count all the bathroom breaks, snack runs and Will's hopeless attempts to stop kym from crying). By the time they finished the movie it was already 1 in the morning. 

"I better get going. It's late" she took out her pocket watch and pretended that it actually showed the correct time instead of the frozen state it was in. 

"Let me get my driver to-" 

"No need William. I have my trusty gun" he narrowed his eyes slightly. Even if she was good with a gun and very observant, she was still a woman and he can't let her walk in the dark on her own. 

"Wait, it rhymed!" Kym Ladell continued to laugh and grabbed her stuff before bolting out of the front door. 

Kym decreased her speed the further she got from Will's house. She reached in her pocket to get her phone. Hundreds of text messages asking where she was and even more phone calls. She silently bit her lip. There was no way that **he** wouldn't be at her house, _with her parents._ Turning around, she walked up the front steps of the Hawkes Manor in slow hesitant footsteps. 

Taking a deep breath, she slams the door open as gently as she can without awakening anyone "Hey Will! I changed my mind about-" 

"I'm making popcorn, what flavor do you want?" _He doesn't mind,_ she told herself. For the first time, she allowed him to pick the flavor. 

She always faces her battles headfirst, but tonight, all she wants to do is hide behind the covers ~~with her Lieutenant beside her as they re-watched the 'Before' series~~. She can fight again tomorrow. 

* * *

"Randall, security for Lady Arthingham. Sinclair, still on security for Ms. Davenport. The rest are on patrol duty." Multiple groans, complains, and cheers of celebration rang throughout the office when Lieutenant Hawkes finished giving out instructions for the day. 

"Hey Lauren, why is Miss Davenbitch so nice to you?" Lauren turned to kym who rested her chin on her shoulder. Previous reports say that Miss Davenport isn't the friendly or talkative type, and the complete opposite, but she was very friendly to the red-head Officer. 

"I don't really know myself" Honestly though, everyone should've expected that Miss Davenport would go on shopping sprees while on vacation here. 

"Well you better get going, you don't want to be shouted at like what she did to poor Harvey" she internally winced at the memory of Harvey missing a few days of work. He wasn't suspended but he sure was traumatized. She stood up and waved her friends goodbye. She whispered something in William's ear that turned him beet red for only a second, before she made her way to Miss Davenport's location. 

-

"Lauren, over here!" Lauren heard her name called the second she stepped into the small cafe Belladonna set as their meeting point. 

Resting a smile on her face, she approached the table and saw a man sitting beside her. The man had a large red scar from his neck reaching up to a little above his eyebrow. Silver eyes that screamed danger and untrustworthy for a trained officer like her. 

Lauren took one look and developed an instant dislike for the man. She can't pinpoint where, how or why she hates him so much, but she does. She can feel anger rushing through her veins and an enormous desire to slam his face into the nearest wall. 

Judging by his face, he didn't like her either. Which is good, so she has a reason to investigate him (partly bad because she's not a detective anymore), and bad because he has rumored connection to the growing syndicate that is the Phantom Scythe. 

"Officer, I would like you to meet my fiance, Tim Sake" _Fiance? But aren't you dating Kieran?_ , her mind screamed as much as it asked. 

Finding no other words to say than congratulations, she sat opposite to the duo and became the center of the striking orange eyes that left her coworker traumatized. 

"Kieran told me that you've been avoiding him these past few days" _I haven't been avoiding him, I was just making up excuses to not see him, completely different_ ; she told herself but remained silent. 

"I don't like to intrude on his relationships, but it was just out of the blue that even I have no idea why you avoided him." 

"I was just really busy with work these past few days" Belladonna's eyes narrowed dangerously but said nothing. Belladonna's mind wandered back to 3 days ago, when he was telling her all about the woman he likes. 

-

"She's just different in a way that she stands out but fits in perfectly. I don't know, I've fallen pretty hard. "She nodded and gave a smirk before kissing him on the cheek. 

"Did she kiss you like that? Or did she actually aim for the lips?" He just let out a laugh, entertaining both her questions. 

-

She let out a sigh and sipped her black coffee "My little brother is such a hopeless romantic" she said to herself but left Lauren frozen solid. 

"I'm sorry, Little Brother?" Belladonna raised an eyebrow, and smirked. This was going to be a long conversation. 

-  
The PFCWD was a government program in Ardahlis that says any children with physical or mental disabilities will fully be helped by the government. From education to their possible jobs with fair wages. A friend of Lauren was in this program and despite her busy schedule made sure to visit him at least once a month. 

"Hello, Dylan" A great amount of happiness formed inside her as she looked at her best friend laying down on the hospital bed. 

"Oh, hello Lauren. How have you been? " he had a tone of politeness but it was one of happiness to Lauren's ears. 

"I'm fine. Did you-" 

"No. I still don't remember anything. _I'm sorry_ " he whispered the last part mainly to himself, not for her. 

"Oh, that's alright" she gripped the flowers in her hand tighter and tried not to be disappointed, but she was. It's been 10 years since the car accident that left him crippled and...different. 

"I know that you still really want me to remember but I just cant" hopelessness was clear in his voice, but like always, fell on deaf ears. 

"That's alrigh-" 

"No, it's not. For you anyway" disappointment, hopelessness, sadness and so many more emotions was heard in the small hospital room. She tried to ignore it all of it once again, but failed. 

"I know that I promised you so much things when we were kids. But there's none of that now. I can't remember you or anything before the accident." He looked down at his legs, still stiff and paralyzed. 

"I know that, but can you at least try to-" 

"You need to move on. Please just accept that I can't remember you, or anything we did or promised. We will just get hurt in the process." he didn't bother beating around the bush. He knew that he needed to tell her this, after so many years. 

_She was hanging on to a single line of thread for the past 10 years. The once strong and unbreakable bond that they had, reduced to a mere string that they both barely held on to. Now, she realized, he lad let go of that thread years ago, and she was left falling and holding onto something that wasn't attached anymore._

> **Time passes,**   
>  **Memories fade,**   
>  **Feeling change,**   
>  **People leave. But...**   
>  **The heart never forgets**

That's what she's hanging onto, completely ignoring and forgetting the first 4 lines. 

"Will told me that there's a suitor you're quite fond of. Go give him a chance. I'm happy here, you should be too" He gave her a small smile, not one of politeness nor pity, but one of happiness and hope for his once best friend. 

"I guess I should give him a chance. Get well soon." She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. **She wasn't going to cry.** Not in front of him. She placed the flowers down at the beside table before making her way out of the room. She gave him one last wave before leaving him alone once again. 

"It's for your own good, Ren" 

* * *

"Lauren, Darling, I still don't understand why you were suddenly ignoring me" 3 days. **For 3 whole days** ; she ignored his messages, missed his calls, and left early or in a hurry preventing him from driving her back to her house. 

He nearly dropped his phone, when she asked where he was. He had just met his client at the central park of Ardahlis. It went well enough, but he'd rather not recall work when she's around. 

"I've been busy" she stopped for a moment letting the running kids pass by. 

"That's what they all say. I'm guessing that you're going to tell me to give you some space?" He internally groaned. They were all the same, making excuses and asking for space. Wait, actually, it was him that did those. This was the first and will be the last time he's rejected by a woman that he's courting. 

"No, quite the opposite in fact" she leaned forward and gave him a small kiss on the lips. She immediately quickened her pace, blush threatening to rise and take hold, leaving her looking like she had a high fever. 

Kieran White was left paralyzed and light-headed at the stone pavement. After 10 seconds of emptiness, he ran to catch his date before she ran into the streetlight; a teasing smile on his face of course. 

-

Lieutenant Hawkes and Sergeant Ladell were in their way back to their houses, taking the long way through the Central Park, when Kym suddenly grabbed his arm. 

"Will look over there! Someone kissed Lauren and he's not dead." Kym pointed at where his childhood friend was and the dark-haired man a few meters away. William didn't understand what was so special about that. 

Yes, quite rare, but Lauren has been seeing someone that she actually likes for the past few weeks. Only kym hasn't noticed the lighter eye bags, and less need for coffee in the morning. And to be completely honest, Lauren has been looking a lot healthier than before. 

"What's so special about it?" He was happy for Lauren but it wasn't exactly her first kiss. 

"SOMEONE. KISSED. LAUREN! OH. MY. HOLY. WATERMELONS." Kym was having a panic attack and a fangirl squeal at the same time. Just when she couldn't get any weirder, Will thought.

Without thinking, he pressed his lips on hers, like what Lauren whispered to him earlier. 

Kym grabbed his arm. She suddenly flipped him on his back. It caused a lot of people turn and look at them; she just laughed it off saying that it was just a small little game between friends. She made no move to help him up to his feet, just glaring daggers at him the whole time. 

"Why did you kiss me punk?"

"What are you 27 and don't know how to kiss? Shameful Ladell" He got back up at his feet, slightly wincing at the possible back injury, but more concerned about the dirt that covered his uniform. 

"I'm 21" she growled and took out her gun. His eyes immediately widened and ran in the opposite direction. 

He didn't know what type of demon possessed him in that moment but he was pissed ~~and thankful~~ at whoever it was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry for the VERY late upload but this chapter has been the hardest to write. It is also, coincidentally, the most important chapter because of the character's interactions and how it will affect the plot moving forward (if you dare actually assume that there is a plot not just a bunch of word combinations at 3 AM) 
> 
> I gave a bit of a spoiler on Discord but I can bet no one saw Dylan coming in that way.


	10. Calm before the storm

The Ardahlis amusement park was well known for its variety of rides and attractions. That was exactly what Kieran White had thought when he chose it as the venue for his next date with Lauren. 

Waiting at the gates with an all you can ride ticket on his hand; he watches the couples, kids with their parents enter the park. A pang of jealousy hit his heart as he looked at the happy faces of the parents as they entered with little to no care for the world. 

"Kieran!" He turned his head to the sound of his name, only to be paralyzed once again at the sight of his date. She wore a black turtle neck and a black plaid skirt matched with black thigh high boots. Her bright red hair was up in a tight ponytail, and he can see just the slightest bit of mascara and winged eyeliner from where he was standing. By the time she reached him, she was slightly out of breath from running and he managed to regain **MOST** of his composure. 

"Are you ready to go?" He offered his arm which she took glady. He handed her one of the tickets and off they went with their day. 

They decided to ride the major attractions first because of the still short line, but mostly because neither of them has been to an amusement park before and just went to the biggest one they can see. 

"Let's go that one" Lauren pointed to the rollercoaster but Kieran wanted to ride the drop tower first. They finally decided to ride the swinging chairs first. It was a horrible decision. They thought that is was just light swinging while sitting on chairs. You know, chat while sitting on the steady ride. They were very, very, very wrong. 

They chatted for the first few minutes, but soon both noticed the increasing speed of the ride. They tried to ask the staff but they were completely ignored. The ride continued to speed up, other riders were screaming from joy and fear, but they were screaming from fear, confusion and overall absolute fear; no joy whatsoever. 

"What if we... read the, descriptions before going on a ride" Kieran managed to say through deep breaths. Lauren could only nod, and mess with her seat belt to get out of the ride from hell. 

They found a bench not too far from the ride. A vendor was kind enough to walk over to them and sell them some water. 

"Where do you want to go now?" Lauren asked, taking another gulp of her water. It's been ten minutes at least, but she was still dizzy and light headed even after 3 bottles of water. 

Beside her, Kieran shrugged throwing his empty bottle at the trash. He took a look around and found small souvenir stores or game stalls. He still wasn't feeling agile or even focused enough for games so other ideas were accepted. 

"What if we go to the haunted house? It looks fun" beside him Lauren suppressed a shiver. He took no notice of it and dragged his date to the haunted house. 

* * *

  
Kym sighed for what felt like the hundred time today and turned off the TV. Lauren was on a date, the house was clean, courtesy to her mother, and she is bored. She always liked day offs but what she doesn't like is boring stuff, and today was both of those. 

She took out her phone in an attempt to distract herself. She switched from app to app in a matter of 5 minutes and was once again bored. 

She was going to give up but an idea came to mind. She dialed a familiar number and waited for a few seconds to be picked up. 

"Hello" an exhausted voice came from her phone. 

"Hey Will! Whatcha doing?" She asked in her usual sing song voice. She received a groan in response but she's just happy to find something to do. 

"Reading a book. Why are you even calling me?" 

"I'm booooored" she childishly whined. "Tell me a story" 

On the other side of the phone, William sighed and placed his book down. There was no way he could get out of this scenario even if he wanted to. And it was better than her coming over. 

"Hey actually I'll just come over. Prepare the movies William. I'll bring popcorn!" 

* * *

Lauren angrily bit into the pineapple pizza and threw another glare at her date. First she rode the possessed chairs, then they went in the demon inspired house, after that they went to the log ride which not only got her soaked, but also made her scream like a child. 

She was a police officer. She went through 4-5 years of police academy training. She was the best in the academy not only academically but also physically. And she screamed at a kids ride. 

"So... anything you want to do?" Kieran returned her glare, but not for the same reason. She was eating pineapple on pizza, and it may be the only thing he hated about her. 

"Oh, by the way, My job heads to its kinda serious phase tomorrow so I won't be able to pick you up or even call you for the next week or so" Now that caught Lauren's interest. He never really said what his job was, only that it was stressful and usually takes up most of his time. He would forcefully take about another topic; usually one to spark a debate between the two of them. 

"Let's got to the roller coaster " Lauren had seen how the ride operated, but it didn't prevent the sinking feeling in her stomach as the ride continued to rise up and slow down. 

She clutched the seat belt tighter, hoping that it won't fall off. Beside her; Kieran held her hand, even if he was just as scared as she was. The ride went through all the twists and turns, adrenaline rushed in and quickly escaped leaving both of them breathless. 

"Hey, you okay?" Kieran asked his date, already off the ride. Lauren was still sitting in her seat, unmoving and unblinking. 

"Hey man, can you help me get her off?" He asked one of the employees and they gladly helped, already used to these kinds of reactions. 

Kieran carefully helped Lauren out of the seat and gently lead her to the nearest bench. As he was doing so, he felt a tug on his arm. Looking back at his date, she gestures back at the line with an unmistakable happy and excited smile on her face. 

"Come on, we need to go on another ride" she dragged him back to the end of the line, an unusual bounce on her feet. 

They rode the rollercoaster again, and again, and again. Lauren has been the one who insisted on riding it. Kieran tried to persuade her to go on another ride, but he was just met with a glare that belonged to the haunted house. 

"You ride the next one alone" he was starting to get sick of the ride (and a little sick himself) and started to walk away.

"Alright, weakling" she purposely said it out loud to annoy him but he didn't give in to the trick. She rode the next one alone, finding it quite boring and decided that this was the last one. 

Walking out of the exit she is met with a terrible fact, she has absolutely no idea where Kieran was, he has her purse, and the line moved faster; so he probably won't be back for another 25 minutes. 

She started to walk around the park, not wandering too far from the rollercoaster. She finally found Kieran after 5 minutes of pointless wandering. He was talking the food court, randomly buying and tasting local overpriced desserts. 

"I told you it gets boring" He threw away the wrapper of one of the local delicacies. They walked back to the rides, hand in hand "Now close your eyes" 

"Close your eyes. Just do it, I'm not going to do anything horrible" she did as he said. She felt him walk up behind her. She slightly tensed up, as a defense mechanism she supposed. She felt a wire of some sort, get wrapped around her neck. 

"You can open your eyes now." She looked down at her neck. There rested a small necklace. The pendant had a heart shaped sapphire held by two dolphins 

"So I was walking around when I saw that. It looked cute, so of course I bought it. It looks nice doesn't it." He tilted the pendant up, thumb brushing over the blue sapphire. Shaking her head, she starts to drag him back to the line for the rollercoaster. 

"How are you not tired of that yet" 

"I'm not tired of you yet" 

"Fair enough" 

* * *

Lauren enjoyed the cold breeze brushing through her red hair and the warm heat of the sunset. They were on the Ardahlis Ferris Wheel, both with hot drinks on their hands and leaning against the railings of the cart. She sipped her latte and gave a side eyed glance at her date. He looked more at peace than she had seen him this entire day. 

_Maybe he doesn't like crowds all that much,_ she thought to herself. Neither of them knew much about the other and that made her stomach turn. She never liked opening up to people, and there was no certainty on how he would react. He was intimidating as he was charming. She was slowly accepting that she did like that about him. 

She didn't notice that she was staring at him. He gave her a smirk and teased her more as the cart they were riding, went up further into the sky. 

"Why did you become a police officer?" he asked out of nowhere. 

"Because I want to help people" it was the correct answer and most of the truth

"But what if they're a horrible person and deserves a life in jail? Would you still save them? " he staring off into the sunset, continuing his questions. 

"Yes, it's my job." 

"No I'm asking you. Not your job. What if someone close to you does something unforgivable? What would you do?" He turned his head and stared at her, his voice cold and solid. She found his stare a lot more intimidating than charming. These were one of the few moments that she didn't know who she was talking to. Able to see through her half truths and turn her words against her, he was dangerous. And a complete mystery since someone would need years to fully master the art of intimidation, wordplay AND to be completely unreadable. 

"I guess I'll try to understand them but if they broke the law, then they need to pay for what they did wrong."she kept a level voice even if didn't know where the words was coming from, but she didn't hold them back. 

"You think that spending time in jail is the only way for them to be forgiven?" A tone that could only be described as dislike was present in his voice. 

"Yes, I mean no. Where is this coming from anyway?" 

"No reason" he suddenly pulled her close and placed his lips on hers. She was confused for a solid three seconds before she finally registered what was going on. Placing her arms around his neck, she returns the kiss feeling him smile a while later. 

It was unlike their first quick kiss at the park, this one was slow and sweet. A perfect first kiss for the both of them. She can smell his colone, almonds and cheesecake. She never thought that those smells would go together but she wouldn't want to forget now. 

She felt his arms circle around her waist before she was lifted off the ground. He started to twirl her around the small cart, laughing so loudly and freely she couldn't help but join him. 

_"This is a cliche isn't it?"_

_"It absolutely is"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this has been a very fun ride. I mean I COULD end this story here since it already went full circle. For the non masochist in this cursed fandom, don't read the next chapter and pretend that this is the end because I honestly wish I could.


	11. Gifts will, from now on, remain forgotten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is an honor to truly see a soul in this world full of masks. 
> 
> She did see his soul, but he wore the mask so tightly and perfectly that it was impossible to know which she was seeing.

Lauren enters the precinct in a relatively good mood. The entire precinct noticed as she entered through the front door, smile on her face and a small Coffee cup on her hand. She returned the smiles and good morning's, but what really showed it was when she paid no attention to Hermann's glare and followed his orders without a complain nor a dark cloud on her shoulders. 

  


"Well you're in a good mood today Sinclair. What appears to be the reason? " Detective March said as the officer placed down his paper work at the side of his desk. The said officer only shrugged but her smile was a bit wider and tighter. 

  


"No reason. Just well rested from yesterday" she internally blushed at yesterdays memories. From the rollercoaster to the Ferris Wheel. 

  


"You finally found the right side of the bed to wake up to huh?" March was only getting more and more entertained by a well rested Sinclair. 

  


"Kinda" she tried to politely smile but it ended a sly one instead. 

  


"I'll see you later Detective March." She waved goodbye to the investigation unit, ignoring the painful ache in her chest.

  


Walking down the hall she wonders how many people noticed her good mood but was soon cut short when Captain Hermann walked out of his office. She found out that ignoring the hidden hate in his voice was easier than matching it with her own... hidden hate. 

  


"Sinclair, you will be in charge of escorting McTrevor to the courtroom. I expect this to be fully under your control." _I don't trust you_ ; she has heard it in his voice multiple times but it never failed to make her chest heavy and her mood sour. 

  


"Of course Captain, I will carry out my duties as expected " she gave a salute and he walks away from her. There goes her good mood for the day. 

  


She focused on the metal wire of the necklace hidden in her uniform to place the smile back in her face. Out of nowhere kym Ladell appeared and began to tease her about her new boyfriend. 

  


"He's not my boyfriend Kym" even if she didn't want to admit, she was quite disappointed he didn't ask yesterday 

  


"He's not your boyfriend **YET**." Kym laughed but it lacked its usual childish and "Tell me when you get together so we can go on a double date with Stephen and me" 

  


"I forgot you had a boyfriend honestly" she really did. Kym wasn't the type to brag about her love life so nearly no one knew about it. Especially since they've been together for 4 years now. Kym leaned forward, tightly gripped Lauren's arm, and shot the questions. 

  


"Forget about him. He's not important. What is important though is that you tell me all about your date yesterday. Did he kiss you? I bet he kissed you... " Lauren just ignored her friend and the blush threatening to rise. It was rather difficult because Kym's grip on her hand was as tight as when she holds a gun. And she's the best shot at the precinct so just her luck. 

  


* * *

  


"You are wasting your time" McTevor said loudly as they continued to walk through the hallway and into the courtroom. Officer Randall remained silent, only tightened his hold on the man. 

  


"My lawyers will win this case and it'll be the last time you f*ckers can touch me" He laughs out loud, arrogantly confident. The officers slightly tensed up, but remained silent. McTrevor was an arrogant merchant but he had a lot of money and connections to the trading system. They wouldn't be surprised if there are at least 6 lawyers already inside waiting to claim lack of evidence. 

  


To their surprise when they entered the courtroom, there were only two lawyers on the defender's side. A familiar shade of pink hair, and a foreign shade of dark blue tied with a white ribbon. 

  


Lauren freezes at the doorway. Seeing Belladonna was one thing, it has been publicly known that she was a lawyer for scums with money, but seeing Kieran himself sit there reviewing documents was another thing entirely. 

  


They made their way to their respective places. They released McTrevor from his handcuffs; and he gleefully made his way to the defendant side, only to be struck by glares and blank faces. 

  


Seated at the hardwood benches was possible witnesses, and a few close associates. She recognizes some faces, Harry Anslow, Beatrice Blakesly, Tim Sake, all possible business partners but odd for them to be present in the trial. She scans the seats once more. A few clicks of cameras and note scribbling belonging to big name media companies ready to record the trial. 

  


She hears a few shushed conversations in the otherwise silent room. 

_"_ _The stakes are high for this case_ _. But I'm sure that the rising syndicate has nothing to do with this trial"_   
_"I agree. There's no way they can control the fair system of Ardahlis"_

  


She realized, this was not just about McTrevor's case. This was a statement if the criminal justice system of Ardahlis was finally affected by the rising syndicate. She had known about it like every other officer, but as usual, no one could do anything about it. 

  


What she was wondering was ,why Kieran was here. She recalls Kieran's words to her yesterday. 

  


> "My job heads to its kinda serious phase tomorrow so I won't be able to pick you up or even call you for the next week or so"
> 
>   
> 

Familiar feelings of anger rushed through her veins. He didn't lie but he kept it a secret. He knew from day one that she was a fair police officer and that he would stand in court soon. He knew that he was directly involved with terrorizing her country and now, the decision of whether or not they'll continue to do so rests on his hands. 

  


With that thought, her entire view of him changed. He was no longer her charismatic and slightly intimidating suitor, but a filthy criminal; no matter his reasons. 

  


She instinctively moved to talk to him but Lucas held her arm tight. He had a silent warning, and a bit of concern, on his eyes. He knew the consequences just as well as she does. And messing with a lawyer that reports, and McTrevor himself claimed, was powerful, would definitely have high consequences. 

  


"Don't" he muttered. Seeing no other choice, she stays in place. Her conversation with Hermann repeated in her head. She was to act purely professional and have no say in anything that happens in the courtroom. 

  


The man she heard earlier was right. The stakes **WERE** high. Both on the law and her life. He was the first person she opened up to in a while, and this trial will prove whether or not she was right or wrong in trusting him. 

  


Start of the Trial

  


The judge arrived. The jurors were picked and seated. The lawyers gave their opening statements, nothing but confidence and professionalism into their voices. 

  


With every jury, the case became clearer. The more guilty McTrevor was. With time Kieran stood to defend his client; jurors were intimidated, statements turned against them, and tensions increased. _With every second she saw him standing there, the more she started to hate him_. 

  


After an hour of the trial, the judge arrived at the conclusion that McTrevor was not guilty beyond reasonable doubt due to lack of evidence. 

  


It was a small case that the government lost, but it is a case that showed the growing syndicates' power; and what they could affect with it. It is also a case that proved she never should've trusted him. 

  


Small cheers of celebration rang through the courtroom, along with clicks and flashes of cameras. Between maneuvering through the crowd of news reporters, she meets Kieran's eyes. 

  


They were cold and emotionless, no remorse for the case he won, nor surprise seeing her. It hurt a bit. She was used to seeing happiness in his eyes whenever he saw her. She would've felt it if her heart wasn't full of absolute hate and anger for him. 

  


* * *

  


Kym kicked a pebble on the street and waited for her lieutenant to finish the designated paper work about the robber they just caught. 

  


Her phone rang a familiar ringtone. She was happy to find something to do but was quite distressed by the person calling. She held her phone up for her lieutenant to see, he just gave a nod before returning to his duties. 

  


She held the phone up to her ear and waited. A few seconds of static before she could hear him. 

  


"I'm at the train station. I'll be gone for a week. Don't try to contact me" a familiar cold voice greeted her. 

  


"Alright" _there was nothing else to say is there?_

  


"Don't be sad baby. I promise I'll bring you something good when I get back" _what? Another designer purse?,_ She mentally asked. That was all he brought for her these days. Always out of town, go back with a purse or some other expensive shit that she doesn't need in the slightest, a small date, she would stay over at his house but they both ignore each other, he leaves again. Then the process repeats itself. 

  


Before she could say goodbye, he ended the call. She looked at her phone for a few seconds before placing it away. William was done and they walked back to the patrol in silence. 

  


"Hey, today is the last screening of Before Midnight" William said to start a conversation. Honestly though, she wasn't in the mood. Her 5 year anniversary with Stephen was this Friday, and he's going to miss it. She's been preparing for that day for 3 months now. 

  


"Alright, you don't have anything to do so let's watch it later!" She walked ahead of him an unusual fake bounce on her feet. She made a wrong left turn at St. Peter's street and froze. 

  


A few meters away from her was Stephen, kissing and holding a blonde girl by the waist. If she cut out her thundering heartbeat, and uneven breathing; she can very faintly hear their conversation. 

_"There, she has no idea that were together baby"_   
_"Are you sure she won't catch us?"_   
_"I'm sure. Not like she can do anything anyway"_

  


"Hey kym, are you alright?" She heard Will ask, but she couldn't be bothered to even answer him. She curled her fists into a ball and kept her breathing even. 

  


All she wants to do is to walk right up to him and beat the everloving shit out of him. But she was still on patrol and it would look unprofessional at best, and law-breaking at worst. 

  


Her emotions can't control her, that's what he always said and will be the last piece of advise that she'll take from him. 

  


"Are you sick? You've been really quiet. Maybe we should just watch a movie another time, you should go home. I'll tell them you went back" she turned her head, surprised that her usually cold lieutenant would do something like that for her. 

  


"No. Let's watch it, I don't have anything else to worry about anyway" Now more than ever was not the time for her to watch a movie. Especially with her lieutenant. 

  


Taking out her phone once more, she texts him the words she never thought she'd type nor say. 

  


-

  
Time appeared to stretch for her for the rest of the day. She was heartbroken, furious, and numb, all at the same time. Thankfully though, all other officers, William included, thought that she was just restless. 

  


Finally after what felt like an eternity, the shift was finally over. She had another problem though, the movie with Will. It wasn't a problem, but more of unwillingness to go. She was exhausted, physically and mentally. And watching a love story with a happy ending would not do her good. 

  


That was what she previously thought, the movie was beautiful, and Will didn't mind that she cried the entire time on his shoulder (maybe less than he did anyway). 

  


"Man, that movie was beautiful! I actually shed some tears" Kym enthusiastically shouted as they entered the lobby. 

  


William realized sometime around the middle of the movie, that she wasn't crying because of the movie but another reason entirely. Usually, comforting Kym was Lauren's job, but she disappeared halfway through the day. Letting her cry on his shoulder was the only thing he could've done. 

  


"Let me walk you back to your house" _and that, another thing he can do for her_. "I'm not taking no for an answer Sergeant" 

  


Kym pouted before going back to her usual cheery self. Crying helped a lot more than she thought actually. It would've been better if she could say what she was feeling, but she wasn't complaining. 

  


Between arguing with Will and stopping at random shops, she forgot about Stephen for a while. But all good things end. She slowed her pace as she saw her house in the distance. William was still telling the story of how Lauren had her hair stuck in the weirdest places. 

  


Waving Will goodbye, she enters her house. Nothing was changed, but it felt more dangerous than a mine field. 

  


"Where have you been?" Just as she expected, Stephen was there. Arms crossed, face twisted in jealousy and anger, ready to scream like he always does. 

**She can't run away again. She's not going to run away. She won't pretend anymore**. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not sorry for writing this because I warned you.


	12. Some relationships end in marriage, this one ends in threats and bullets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Don't settle for relationship that won't let you be yourself"   
> -Oprah

Every student goes through the tough choice of choosing their career. For Kym Ladell though, it has never been a hard choice. She has always known what she wants to do. She entered the living room in an exited jog to tell her boyfriend of her final decision. 

"You shouldn't waste your time being a police officer." Stephen said without even looking up from his phone. He was casually seated on the couch, bag halfway open beside him. She took a seat beside him, kicking the bag to the floor in the process. Unfinished homework and projects spilled out, making her wince slightly. She _may or may not_ have been procrastinating for the past 2 hours. 

"It'll just be a waste of time. Not to mention that its really dangerous. My uncle tried out, and he said that it wasn't worth it. Maybe you should just be a model or an actress. Those are easier careers" he continued to scroll through his phone. She knows exactly who he's talking about. 

"You can't change my mind with Uncle Fred, Stephen" His uncle Fred was probably the worst human being she has ever met. He was unorganized, rude, not to mention had no concept of personal space. Doesn't come as a surprise to her that he didn't continue being a police officer. 

"Fine. Do what you want. Don't come crying to me when you regret it. He picked up is bag and gave her a kiss on the cheeknow "I have to go. I have a group study at my place"

"I'll text you when its done" and with that, he left, leaving her alone and doubtful of her own dreams. 

* * *

"What do you mean you got placed in a group of 4 men?!" Stephen screamed through the phone. It was a bad idea to make a pinky promise through the phone. 

"I mean just that Stephen" She really wasn't in the mood to argue with him, or even talk to him. All she wants is a nice hot bath and lay down in her uncomfortable bunk bed. Which wont happen until she gets her watermelon in the cafeteria. 

"No! Ask for a change in groups or something!" His voice got even louder. She hears a shush from one of the passing instructors. 

"Its common here, don't worry" She gives them an apologetic look, and softens her voice. She continued walking down the hallway leading to the cafeteria. 

"How am I not supposed to worry? You are placed in a group of men older than you. Your instructors should know better. How older are they?" 

"Well... they're older for about a, I don't know... year or so" she is really craving something spicy right now, and the menu is not so diverse in that category. 

"Kym. Ask for a change in groups." His voice was purely demanding. She already knows where this was going, so she heads for the backdoor before he starts screaming again. 

"Look its a requirement for each group to have a female in it-" she aims to argue 

"Then go to a group younger than you!" 

"I can't!" _Technically_ , she can. She just doesn't want to because:

1) She has better things to do. Like sleeping or eating watermelons; 

2) She's still in her first year, so there really isn't much of a choice here; 

And most importantly 3) Groupings like these annoys the hell out of Stephen 

"You just secretly want to be in there don't you?!" 

"What? No!" It's really not. It never crossed her mind actually. She's always been good with people, and he **knows** it. He tends to get a bit jealous at times because of it though.

"Alright fine, enjoy" he abruptly ended the call, leaving no room for further defense. 

  
Although the call had ended, the argument was not. Stephen had marched down the shooting field and punched one of Kym's teammates square in the face. This lead on to full on brawl and Stephen getting banned from visiting, along with Kym getting extra laps around the field. This, meanwhile, lead on to a road of cold gestures of affection and insincere apologies for years to come.

Which brings us to today... 

"Where have you been?" Just as she expected, Stephen was there. Arms crossed, face twisted in jealousy and anger, ready to scream like he always does. 

"I thought that you were out of town?" She kept her voice level and emotionless, opposite of how she's feeling. 

"I was until I saw your text. Who was the man you were just with? Why would he walk you home?-" he asked more questions but Kym was hearing none of it. 

"He's my lieutenant. He walked me home because it was already dark out" she cut him off, further angering him. 

"Why are you even going he at this hour? Your shift ended 4 hours ago." His voice was filled with jealousy and rage but it was nothing she hasn't heard before. 

"Wherever I go is none of your business." Stephen remained silent, not used to seeing her talk back; he didn't stand down either. 

"Leave my house. Were over. I know that you read my text, or are you going to lie about that too?" Shock was evident in his face and posture. 

"Kym, I-" she shut him up with a glare. He makes no move. 

"Didn't you hear me? Leave!" She hopes that he didn't hear her voice crack, but knowing him, he surely did. He placed on his usual mask, one of care, affection and understanding. 

"Kym where is this coming from? You know you shouldn't say stuff like that." He grabbed her wrist gently, then harshly pulling her close. 

"I ment every word that I said Stephen." She meets his eyes with a deadly glare, one that would send criminals down to their knees, but he pays it no mind, thinking this was just another one of her exhausted outburst. 

"Were over" she repeats. She knows that if you repeat what you're sating multiple times, the more likely people are going to remember it. She didn't think that this was one of the moments that she was going to use that. 

"So this is how you want to end it? 3 years all because I didn't tell you the time my train was going leave? After everything I've done for you" she holds up her wrist, attempting to take her hand back, but he doesn't stand down. Instead, he further tightens his hold. 

"After what? After telling me my dreams were stupid? After telling me that I don't have talent? After telling me that no one will like me except for you?" She left out the part of him cheating, because compared to what he's been doing to her, that was forgivable. 

"I'll be honest with you, _even though you've never been with me_ ; I've been through a lot this past year, and you weren't there for even a second. And you want to know what I learned? I learned that I don't need an egotistical maniac by my side to be happy. I learned that I have people will like me for being me and not the type that you want me to be." She let venom drip in every word she said. Memories flash by, proving every single thing she said to be right. 

>   
>  _"No one's going to like it that you're always stuffing your face with watermelon"_  
>  _"You shouldn't waste your time on being a police officer..."_  
>  _"They're just going to use you. Don't talk to them..."_  
>  _"You know its not really that big of a deal. Anyone can be a Sergeant if they want to."_

She finds the usual manipulative light on his eyes and prepares herself. If there was one thing no one can beat him in, it was manipulating anyone's emotions and beliefs and turning them into one he believes. The traits of a good CEO or a **psychopath**. 

"Then how do you think they'll react when they find out what their precious, honest sergeant has been doing. I can easily tell them that you're a part of the Phantom Scythe and everyone would believe me. After all, you've got quite the collection of designer bags, even though your parents can't afford any. " he further twisted her wrist with every word. She's all too familiar with the tone on his voice. She can't believe that she once felt anything but hate for this man. 

"You want your dumb gifts back, then fine, take it. But if you think for a single second that you can blackmail me into getting back together with you, then you've got a number of bullets coming for you. "She pulls back her wrist and pulled out her gun with her other hand. She pointed it at him without a second of hesitation.

"Right now you are hurting an officer of the law, and on her property without permission. I have every single right to empty out all my bullets on you " He tenses up slightly. It wasn't a lie and he knows it. He also knows that she never misses her targets. 

"But I won't because I'm not a manipulative coward like you " he made no move, still not willing to leave. 

"I'll mail you back evything you ever gave to me if that's what you're worried about. And don't bother trying to sue me, I have more connections than you'll ever have." She urges him to leave one last time, or the wall may have several bullet holes in them. 

After a while, he turns and leaves but not before giving her a warning glare. She collapsed on the couch as soon as she knew he was far away. Who would've thought that this day would actually come? 

She reached for her phone, and dialed Lauren's number. 

"Hello? Kym"

"Hello? Kym, are you there?" 

"I need you here" 

"..." 

"I'm on my way. Wait for me" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was quite unsure how to write the argument scene because it was so far off from the happy-go-lucky Kym, but it was actually really easy. 
> 
> Kym is, and will forever be, a complete badass.


	13. If you loved the wrong person so much, imagine how great you can love the right one.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We end up in toxic relationships because we don't stand up of ourselves early on when the red occur. We let them slide because we fear losing a companion. How long do you let disrespect and neglect go? At some point you need to develop healthy barriers for how your going to be treated

Between the Sinclair Manor and Ladell residence is 2, 500 km. It would take a regular car 15 minutes to travel, and an hour to walk. Lauren didn't know how long it would take if the person were to run though. 

And she didn't think that she was going to be the one to figure it out. It was more of a Kym thing actually 

  
"Lauren! You're here!" Kym shouted the second Lauren stepped in her house. 

"Kym what's wrong?" She had just ran across the entire district only to see her friend in her pajamas, eating a bowl of ice cream, plopped down at the couch. 

"Nothing I just called you for a sleepover" 

"You sounded in pain at the call, even..." _heartbroken_

"You thought so? That just proves to show how great my talent is for acting." She laughed and headed for the kitchen "Pick a movie while I go get snacks" 

"Fine" she decided not to press with the lies she's been answering with. She sat down and took the tub of ice cream Kym was eating earlier. Strawberry and avocado ice cream with chocolate syrup. Kym's choice in ice cream was weird at best and a monstrosities at worst. 

"Hey kym can I borrow some clothes?" She shouted after the bluenette. 

"Yeah, you know where my room is" indeed she did. This was not the first time kym forced her to a sleepover and it obviously won't be the last. 

"Good afternoon Mrs. Ladell" she greeted kym's mother who was on the task of replacing the sheets. 

Believe it or not, Kym was more of a workaholic than she was. Not in terms of paper work obviously, but in terms of observation. She never misses anything, especially on patrol. And even if she was naturally like that, it would still be exhausting. She has seen kym collapse down at the couch because of exhaustion too many times. 

"Oh, Lauren, I told you not to call me that" Mrs. Ladell insisted "You're here for kym?" 

"Yeah, I'm just going to borrow some clothes since kym wont let me go anyway" Honestly, it's been a while since she slept over too

"Well I'm glad that you're here for kym. It's her first time getting her heart broken. Poor girl" She turned back to fixing the sheets "I'm seriously worried for her but she really doesn't want to talk to us" 

"I'm sorry heartbroken? Like Stephen broke up with her?" It would make a lot of sense because of kym's urgent call and pained voice

"More of the other way around, but yes" she held the sheets close to her and blankly stared at the wall. 

"Stephen came here around 5 hours ago demanding to see kym, but she wasn't home yet. He waited for her until she came back with your lieutenant. I didn't hear much but I know Kym broke up with him." she turned around and gave Lauren a pleading look "I really hope that you can help her through it Lauren" 

"Of course" she answered with full determination. "I will" 

* * *

"Oh hey, did you pick a movie yet?" Kym peeked her head through the door. Lauren was sitting on the bed and gestured beside her. Kym cautiously sat down, suspicious of her friends sudden change in behavior. 

"So when were you going to tell me that you broke up with Stephen?" Beating around the bush was never a trend in Lauren's vocabulary. 

"Hm?" Kym raised her eyebrow, but remained impassive. 

"It not really that important and I don't mind it very much" Not a lie. 

  
"Well you're bound to feel something" She insisted "Come on, tell me; or we'll be here the entire week" 

"I'm not going to get out of this am I?" She forced a laugh, understanding of the situation at hand. She stared up at the ceiling for a solid minute before she began to speak "Well I feel like I have some sort of personal freedom now but it also scares me" 

"Like what if I do something wrong and I don't realize it? How am I supposed to know that its wrong?" Lauren can hear fear and uncertainty in every word, but still no lies "I'm going to continue doing something wrong without even realizing it" 

"What's right and what's wrong is not determined by him kym." 

"Most things that you fear on doing doesn't actually bring any harm to anyone" She wrapped her arm around her friend "Listening to some music, that's not wrong. Standing up for yourself, that's not wrong. Allowing yourself to cry, that's not wrong" 

Kym placed her head on Lauren's shoulder and just let the tears fall. She didn't wail like a teenager, she just let them fall on their own. Tears of sadness mixed with tears of anger and grief.

> She acted like it wasn't a big deal, 
> 
> When it was really breaking her heart

  
"Alright now that you've cried it all out remember, you are Kym Ladell, the sergeant of the 11TH precinct, the best shot we have, and one of the strongest and kindest people I know; it would take a lot more than a breakup to bring you down." She tightly held kym's in her own and stared deep into her hazel eyes "You can fall in love again, not everyone is like him "

"Thanks Lauren" 

"Anytime. Now let's get to packing up those stupid bags" 

They managed to fill up 3 large boxes in the next 4 hours and they were not even halfway done. Kym groaned and stood up to get some coffee, leaving Lauren along with a thousand dollars worth of shoes and bags. Her phone suddenly lit up and she picked it up without hesitation. Dusting and packing bags was a very boring and exhausting task after all. 

A text from will:

Lauren

I have a problem

What is it? Can I help?

Yeah, There's this thing about kym

Oh I already know

You do? 

How???? 

She told me

Hold on I'm confused

Are we even in the same topic? 

Maybe not haha

What's your problem with her? 

A big one

I think I like her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the late part made you cringe but I started to write this a day before the Season 2 announcement, and I was nearly finished when the announcement aired. 😅😅 My brain was/is still squealing. 


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is no love without forgiveness, and no forgiveness without love

A minute or two passed but Lauren was still frozen in shock. William Hawkes, THE William Hawkes LIKES Kym Ladell. The watermelon obsessed sergeant, the literal ray of sunshine on a depressing patrol day, the one person who he can never control; Will likes that person.

It was hard to take in; but very, very much believable. She's noticed how his eyes linger longer than they should and how he absent-mindedly leans towards her whenever they were on a crowded place, be it patrol or otherwise. It's just being a gentleman he says, but she knows what she saw. 

She took a deep breath and started to type the most **logical** solution. 

I've got one solution 

Ask her out

No.

You like her! Just man up and do it! 

No. 

You don't sound like WillI

Is this a robot? 

Most likely, I don't even know how that happened

She's really not that bad Will. Ask her out  
You won't regret it. I promise 

Fine... when should I? 

Maybe next week, on lunch break 

She's always busy with her watermelon. She won't listen to me

She Will

Stop the puns Lauren 

Sorry

I can tell your not

o(^▽^)o

She smiled a little to herself, even though she has been hanging out with kym and Kieran a lot more, some things just don't change so they? 

"What are you smiling at?" Kym asked, looking over her shoulder, finger nearly at her phone screen, ready to read through the entire convo. 

She threw her phone at the pillows and threw a random shoe over her shoulder hitting kym right in the face. 

"Let's get back to stuffing these bags." She said ignoring Kym's cries of betrayal. Couple of hours passed, and soon after, it was already 2 in the morning. 

"Oh yeah, how'd things go with the new guy? Black hair, blue undertones, blue eyes, ring a bell?" 

"I cut things off with him" she answered honestly. Kym grabbed her shoulders and started shaking her, screaming "WHAT?! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!" 

"He's just not who I'm looking for, that's all" she tried to pry Kym's hands off her shoulders. She succeeded in stopping the shake, but ultimately failing at removing the firm grip of the sergeant. 

"Well obviously he did something to get you all over him like that" kym practically dragged her back to the bed 

"Come on, tell me, you have no experience in relationships" She debated against telling kym. Even she doesn't know what to think of the situation as a whole 

"He hid something important from me and didn't tell me until last minute" she shook her head, and tries to go back to the shoes lying on the floor despite Kym's tight grip on her arm. " It's not important "

"Maybe he had no choice but to hide it from you" she looked back at kym who was in one of her few serious moments. Hand on her chin, brows furrowed, no childish nature to be seen. It was quite hard to believe that this was the same watermelon obsessed kym at her precinct sometimes; "Maybe he didn't want you involved because you can be reckless sometimes" 

"I am not reckless" she interjected "Let's just get back to packing these bags" 

"Did he talk to you yet?" She asked; the foreign maturity, still present "Talking always resolves all problems" 

"No, I told you. Were done with each other" 

"Why are both your pride so high? You'll need to talk to each other soon" 

"No, I don't" she defended. "I was just dating him, no attachments whatsoever" 

"But you liked him and you two got along" 

"That's not enough basis for me to forgive him" she answered, back still turned

"What would be the basis then?" Kym asked harshly,eyes throwing a glare more fitting for criminals rather than her oblivious best friend, "Would you want him to be on his knees in public for you to talk to him?" 

"No" It was like her to get mad at people, but she was not one to embarrass someone just out of anger 

"Then what would he need to do?" She could have sworn that she heard kym mutter under her breath " _You are so naive when it comes to love Lauren._

"Look, at his first attempt to talk to you, just listen. Don't say anything, just listen to him. Know why he hid the thing. And if it's a stupid reason, you have every right to dump him." 

"Alright I will" she gave up trying to argue with kym. She grabbed a couple extra pillows and settled beside kym trying to fall asleep. "On the subject of recklessness, take a day off tomorrow. And no matter what happens, **DON'T** answer his calls or messages." 

"Yeah I know. Good night Lauren" 

"Good night Kym" 

A couple streets away, a blond lieutenant was continuously banging his head at his desk, cursing whatever god was out there for making him like the cute blue haired sergeant and deciding to tell his shipper best friend. 

A few hours pass, then days, and soon a week has passed. And so came the dreaded hour for William Hawkes. The day his best friend told him into confessing to kym. 

For him the entire situation was just ridiculous. He wasn't a teenager who was confessing to his crush. He was already a grown man, the lieutenant of the 11TH precinct, the man everyone looks up to; yet found himself walking towards Kym's desk anyway, a little push from Lauren and a swarm of butterflies at his stomach. 

"Hey kym, I don't really know how to ask this, but um... "he begins at loss for words regarding the situation at hand. Maneuvering through land mines easier than this. He turned to Lauren who was across the room, waving her fist in the air. Mouthing _fine_ , he turns his attention back to the bluenette, making sure to keep his voice low 

"Will you go out with me?" To his own surprise, she nodded and had the smallest smile on her face as she took another bite of her watermelon. 

"Great, I mean, I mean just _good_? Um, I gotta go somewhere now. I think I hear Hermann calling. I think, so I'll see you later?" she nodded a couple times more before he made his way to Lauren's table at the speed of light. 

"I can't believe that she said yes" he leaned at the edge of her desk, back hunched, breathing like he had just ran a marathon. 

"I told you she likes you" Lauren had her usual _I told you so_ face "Yes, yes, you're right" 

"As always" it wasn't in her face now but also in her tone. _She can never change, can she?_

"Alright, let's change the subject" he let out a sigh of relief and sunk at the chair beside her. It was rare that she was willing to change the subject when it involved his even rarer embarrassing moments. 

"This was supposed to be a secret but since last week, two people named Lune has been giving information about the Phantom Scythe" A normal person wouldn't have recognized the way that her shoulders tensed up, but he did. 

"What happened?" She asked, shoulders still tense, the slightest bit of fear in her voice 

"Don't know the full details but apparently someone gave huge tips on drug smuggling, weapons importation, and even dates of major terrorist meetings." He knew more but by the way she reacted, it would be better to leave the full details a mystery. 

"Lieutenant Hawkes, Hermann is calling for you" Harvey called out from the door way . Nodding at his subordinate, he turns back at Lauren who was looking like a female version of grumpy cat

"One thing before I go" he reached into his bag and placed it at Lauren's desk in a loud **thumph** "Mom, made you this, so you better finish it" 

"How am I supposed to finish this?! It's enough to feed a small army!" She screamed at him, ready to place the lunch box back. 

"It's your problem now. You should eat more. You look like a skeleton" she did, but she knew it was a lie. Halfway through, ~~and all possible options to dispose the content of the box failed,~~ her phone vibrated. Displaying at the screen was a text from Kieran. 

**Can you meet me at the cafe today? I promise I'll make it quick**

That was the first actual message she got from him. For the past week he's been sending Purple hyacinths to her desk everyday; no other flowers, just purple hyacinths, nor any message to give him away. 

She has given Kym's words some thought. What if he actually didn't want to defend McTrevor? What if he was just forced to? What if he was actually a double agent to get in the rising syndicate? What if-

She found more questions; but no answers, no clues from previous conversations, and no attempts to reach out to him. As much as she hated to admit it, Kym was right. Both of them prioritized their pride first rather than talking it out. 

From the corner of her eyes, she sees kym get up and take something from her ear. _No_. 

"Hey Lauren, listen to this" kym slowly handed her one of the AirPods, currently blasting a foreign song to her. Dread and fear suddenly filled her veins. It was very much possible, but, _no_... **it can't**... no

"Kym... how long have you had this in your ear?" She asked slowly, not wanting to even **consider** the possibility of... 

"For the past hour, why?" 

...her wearing the AirPods during Will's confession. 

"Nothing." She replied immediately, stifling a laugh. She did say that kym should move on and that it was okay to fall in love, and she Will. Good lord, help her stop making puns even in her inner thoughts. 

She moved a hand over her mouth, trying to conceal the obvious joy and delight she found in the situation. Kym gave her a questioning look, but didn't inquire further, only enjoying the sight of her best friend finally relax. Kym really isn't the type to ruin the fun. 

* * *

The cafe was unusually filled with tourists, waitresses. The atmosphere was of a normal one, warm and full of chatter. She enters and sits down at his table. The same one they sat at months ago, but she wouldn't remember that. 

"Hi" he begins, trying to lighten up the heavy atmosphere surrounding them both. 

"What do you want," she answers harshly. For a second, he was taken aback. He was used to her little outbursts, but never has he heard her have so much hate in her voice before. 

> People change because of the pain they've been through 

"I just want to talk. I know you're mad at me, but defending McTrevor was not in any way my decision. I know that it is immature to blame it on others, but I was just ordered to do so" 

"Well you've done both of those things, so there's no reason for me to be here" she responded in the same tone and stood up to leave. 

"No. Stay." He tightly held her wrist, not willing to let the conversation end. She stared at him for a solid minute before setting back down to her seat. 

"I'm sure you've heard of the info that the APD got on the Phantom Scythe. I can neither confirm nor deny what it was about and who gave the tip, but I was a part of it" he tried to ignore the slight analytical glare in her eyes. ~~It almost hurt~~ "They'll most likely hunt for my head, so I'll need to leave Ardahlis for a bit "

"So? What does that have to do with you calling me here?" Her tone was the same as earlier, just a bit softer. 

"I was getting to that, when I get back I would like to court you again" he ran a hand through his hair in a last minute attempt to find the words that won't anger her further. 

"Lauren, if you would let me, I would like to start over. I won't keep anything from you, you can ask as much as you would like and I'll answer them honestly" 

"I don't want you to start over" she crossed her arms over her chest. Kieran couldn't help but look down at his cold coffee. He really should've expected it. He didn't lie to her, but he did keep it a secret. 

He kept his involvement in a criminal syndicate a secret from a police officer. She has every right to hate him. 

"Just pick up where you left off. Starting over is just another hassle"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I played around with a lot more themes than I planned but I think it turned out well. One more chapter to go. 
> 
> Wedding bells are ringing for a couple. Can you guess who?


	15. Curtains Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She found home between his arms

Wedding days were always filled with anxiety, pressure, and uncertainty; yet somehow, Tim Sake was not seen to have any of them, instead calmly smoking a cigarette, as if it was just a normal day for him. That, or he was just a good actor, and could hide the mental breakdown he was going through every 5 minutes. 

Kieran White accepted the latter as the official reason when he saw the scar faced man, calmly smoking a cigarette inside his hotel room. 

"You couldn't even wear a proper suit to your own wedding" he pointed out as he walked across the room in long strides, sitting down in front of the groom. 

"Yeah, well, she's not marrying me for my sense of fashion" He takes another drag from his cigarette before offering the box. The blue-eyed man shakes his head in refusal, not wanting the ashes to stick to the fitted black tux. 

"What is she marrying you for then?" He had always found their relationship to be quite unusual, not that he could talk. Sake was not the most friendly, nor a very sincere man; it made no sense for a social butterfly such as Belladonna to be head over heels in love with him. He's not judging, _just curious._

"I don't know, only one to see her beside a pretty face and sharp tongue" he answers confidently. 

"Hm..." Silence took over, neither men letting their walls down quick. 

"I know that it's not my business, but your argument a few weeks ago..." Sake drifted off, unsure if he should be involved. All he knew was that there was an argument, and the next thing he knew, he was helping them hand over Phantom Scythe related documents to the APD. 

"Ah, that" Kieran sighed as the memory of their argument came back. Belladonna talked to him again, but she was still plenty upset. 

"Are you sure about it? I mean she's pretty upset, and you know that she doesn't get over them quick." _True, the silent treatment after one of their argument once went on for a year._

"I know, but it's for our own good" 

"I'll convince her to-" " **Don't.** " He spoke in a way only reserved for the courtroom, looking at sake directly in the eyes. "She'll get over it, but not if you interfere. Just enjoy your time with her." 

"Alright" with that reply, Kieran went to exit the hotel room. Just before he was completely out though, he looked back, and once again spoke with clear conviction.

"Last thing. you hurt her in any way, I will be the one to leave a purple hyacinth on your fresh corpse. Got it?" He watches as he nods in the same confidence, but his eyes lightly shaking. 

He made his way down to the lobby, memories replaying silently. 

* * *

"And after they get the package, we're going to... and then 2 days later, we...stop by the headquarters... then the ministry office... Are you even listening?" Belladonna rambles on, switching from paper to paper, listing down their appointed schedule. 

"Hm? What?" He lazily looked around the room, meeting Bella's tight stare. 

"Ugh, as I was saying, we go to the ministry office-" 

"I don't want to continue this Bella" he finally says out loud. He has been mulling it over for the past 3 hours, finally coming along to a decision. 

Belladonna stopped looking at the instructions on her hands in turn to glare at him. Her lips held a sneer, and asked in a calm, yet poison-coated voice, "What did you say?" 

"I said I don't want to continue this!" He explodes in response. It didn't last long as exhaustion slowly covered his voice "I'm tired of all of this Bella! You just don't want to admit that we're adding another karma in our lives. And what will we get? More money? Satisfaction of starting a bloody syndicate? Knowing that hundreds of lives are going to get lost once this starts?"

"So what you're saying is that 10 years of non stop work to get back at this filthy country will be stopped, all because you're tired," her voice held the same amount of rage as his moments ago, but hiding more emotions than he could comprehend. 

"I know that this country has been unfair to us, but that doesn't mean that we should continue this." he attempts to persuade her despite the amount of glares thrown his way. 

"You always knew that this is what this road will lead to. All because of what? Because she batted her eyelashes at you and told you to stop?!" If earlier their voices held the same amount of rage, it wasn't comparable now. 

The rage in her eyes _almost_ looked familiar to the one that he saw earlier at the courtroom; tremendous anger hiding immesurable hurt from betrayal. It was too late now, he is going to turn in everything to the police; and nothing can stop him. All he can do is to help her come with him. 

"Bella, please" he spoke softly, not wanting to further anger her "We have everything we need. We have money, fame and power. We can succeed in anything we want to. And I... I don't want to continue. I can't leave you either, so please, just come with me.

"Getting back at Ardahlis was the main driving point for us both, but that doesn't mean that we should endanger innocent people. Think about all the kids out there with bright futures, going to be turned to slaves because of us"

His last sentence was the one that brought her back to reality, and be on the same level as him. They both showed great promise as children, an entire decade ahead of their peers, outshining even the prince of the country when it comes to education and talent. Because of that, the Castle made sure that they got rejected by every high school, both public and private, forcing them to move countries multiple times; starting their lifelong goal to get back at Ardahlis. 

"You better know what you're doing or I am going to personally make sure you're never found again." 

* * *

The memory ended with them sorting through hundreds of files. Silence covering every square inch of the room. He was trying so hard to find the right words for an apology, yet not an apology; and belladonna avoiding him as much as possible. 

"There you are!" He turns to the right to see Lauren wearing the pink bridesmaid dress, hair, surprisingly, having more shine than Bella's. "Why weren't you picking up?!" 

In between mentally praising the hairdressers for their work and admiring Lauren's overall beauty; an idea struck him. 

"Lauren, take a picture with me" he took out his phone, and sure enough, there were plenty of missed calls and text messages telling him to come to Bella's side. 

"We can do that after the ceremony. We need to go back. Bella is completely panicking right now" she looked back at the still opened hotel door and grabbed his arm to lead him out. 

"I'll get to her in a bit just--yeah, stay there and smile" He pulled her arm, making her slightly stumble backwards. He easily caught her, then adjusted the camera. 

"One picture Lauren. Smile!" He says in between hitting Lauren's head and plastering the wide smile on his face. She rolls her eyes, but ultimately gave a simple smile. 

Once the picture was taken, she drags him to the car, hitting his arm repeatedly in the process. He lets out protests while she just ignores him completely. 

Driving back to his house, he kept his voice steady, already dreading the words before they were out "Hey, I don't want to ruin the mood or anything like that, but I'm going to go immediately after the wedding" 

"Are you coming with them?" She asks jokingly, but her lips tug downwards for a few seconds, before she laughed. 

"What?! No. No. No. No. And no. I'm most probably going to America, and they're going to Hawaii" he defends himself, taking a mental picture of the laughing redhead. 

"Ah..." she gazed out the window, getting ready to get out of the car. He takes her hand, still not taking his eyes off the road. 

"Hey, don't be sad. I can call you every day if you want" that would be **hard** , without even a single doubt. 

"I'm not sad, I'm so happy I don't know how to react" she replied, not bothering to hide the lie. 

"But I will miss you" she muttered to herself. She held his hand rather tightly, already knowing that he was going to leave soon. 

"I'll miss you too..." 

-

When they arrived, the house was a complete mess. A mattress was thrown down into the lobby, dozens of wine bottles splattered against the floor and Lauren could swear that there were bullet holes in the walls. Kieran was quite surprised that there were no broken windows by the time they got to Bella's room. 

Despite the hurricane that is the bride's mental status, they managed to get everything and everyone ready. The ceremony passed peacefully, until the pastor asked:

"If any of you has a reason why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace." 

Loud shuffling could be heard across the cathedral as men and women looked amongst each other, as if daring each other to speak up, to avoid the pink-haired beauty to go to... him. 

Kieran took out a gun from one of his coat pockets, silently enjoying the look of surprise, and fear on Lauren, William, and Kym's faces. 

"I have a permit" he says casually, handing them the papers of ownership. They take it from his hand, desperately running over the signatures to make sure they won't be forced to get their handcuffs out. 

"I'm quite sure that that's illegal" Lauren whispered in his ear. Kym and Will were still running over the papers, hands clutching their heads to try to remember if there was a law that prevents guests from bringing weapons to the cathedral. 

~~There is~~. 

"Its only illegal if you get caught" He smirked, and turned off the safety feature of the gun. He looked at the hesitant men in the eyes, as if to say " **Go, stand up"**

The only sound heard was the bride happily laughing at her brother's assassin-like glares. In the end, nobody dared to stand up and interrupt the ceremony. 

The rest of the day passed beautifully, with Lauren confiscating the gun, and Kieran pouting for an entire 30 minutes afterwards. 

When the time for throwing the bouquet came, all female officers present were ready to throw it to Officer Sinclair. Belladonna also got along to the tactic of the squad to purposely try to send the flower in Lauren's direction. 

They only forgot to factor one, tiny, little detail. **No one** can hide anything from Lauren. So, when they started talking about wanting to catch the flowers, she knew that something was up. 

Belladonna threw the bouquet in Lauren's direction, but seeing as the redhead was still up in the clouds, trying to find out what her friends are planning, accidentally hit the flowers to the side; making Kym catch it on instinct. 

"I wonder what that means Will," William paled at even the thought. 

  
-

30 minutes ago, Lauren watched on as the private jet took off in the runway. Now, 30 minutes later, she's in the cab, stuck in traffic, looking at the automatic text message sent to her on behalf of Kieran's 10 hour flight. Every 30 minutes, an 'I miss you' text is going to be sent to her number . 

It was annoying, but she couldn't do anything about it. If she called first then she would be the one missing HIM. ~~She does, but her pride would never let her.~~

More loud honking snapped her out of despising her current boyfriend. Looking out at the window, all she sees is traffic. Just traffic for miles and miles. She was going to be there for a while. She calls Kym's phone out of boredom, and put in the most teasing smile and tone she could muster "Hey kym, how was the date with Will yesterday?" 

Even though they were miles apart, she can clearly see her best friend blush and shake her head in denial. It really never fails to amuse her, however, this time, instead of forcibly moving the topic, kym asks in realization. 

"Wait, I'm dating William?" Her tone was purely serious, not a hint of the childish joy frequent in her voice. 

"Yeah,... you guys have been for the past 3 months! You... weren't aware?" She honestly thought William had noticed by now, or at least confirmed that they were dating. 

"No..." Kym trailed off, before saying "Hold on I'll ask" "Wait kym!" 

Back in her house, kym stared at her phone, dialing William's number. They have been _kind of_ (?) dating, but she just wasn't sure. She never remembered him asking her out, nor her saying yes. Not that she would say no, but still. 

A few rings in, he picks up the phone. Bringing the phone up to her ear, she goes over her questions, hoping to death that she wasn't just assuming anything. "Hey Will, can I ask you something?" 

"Sure, what is it?" 

"Don't laugh but... Are we dating?" He stopped for a bit, around ten seconds of pure silence. She was starting to get worried, and a little embarrassed for asking. 

"...Yes, I'm quite sure that you said yes when I asked you" he answered hesitantly. 

"Really? When?" Again, she does not remember a single thing about him asking her out. All she does remember though, is going on multiple dates with him on the weekends. 

"Around-ah, forget it. We can stop if you want--" "No, no, no, I'm cool with it. I just don't really remember... well I'll see you later okay?" 

"Yeah... see you later" she ended the call with that before struggling to call Lauren again due to her fingers shaking. 

"So it turns out I **AM** dating Will" 

" _Turns out?!_ " 

\---

Back in America, all Kieran did was work, work and work. He almost never took weekends, nor vacations. By the first year, he was exhausted; the only thing he looked forward to was his daily call with Lauren. He still made sure that it wasn't visible during his video chats. 

So when the offer came to him being moved to the Ardahlis' branch as the head lawyer, he knew his hard work finally paid off, and immediately took it without hesitation. 

"Hello darling, miss me?" He greets the one person keeping him sane for the past year. 

"Kieran, since when were you back?!" He can see happiness in her eyes, and that was really all that mattered to him. 

He placed a hand over her mouth before starting to drag her out if the alleyway "Quiet darling. Now, let's go on a date. I have so many stories to tell you" 

"I have to finish patrol" she argued, pulling her arm back. 

"Did you date other men when I wasn't around?" He asked, pulling on her arm even stronger. He really didn't have the strength to fight her; the last minute work he had to finish was horrible enough, but the jet lag was really making him tired. 

"No. Did you even hear me?! I need to finish patrol!" Despite the headache inducing pitch of her voice, he couldn't help but smile at the firmness and honesty of her answer. 

"I would have preferred to hear a welcome back, or even a hug; not yelling to my ear" 

* * *

Afternoon patrols were always the worst. It was hot, they've been walking for nearly 5 hours straight, and on track for 3 more until the end of their shift. No one was talking, just patrolling. At that shift though, a certain surprise was under way, or over way

"Hey look up"

"I'm not falling for that kym" Lauren turned away, uninterested in entertaining Kym's antics at this time of the day.

"No, seriously, look up" kym spoke with the authority of a thousand commanders. Playing along, Lauren looks up at the sky, half expecting to hear "SIKE", or a "Made you look!" afterwards. 

She heard neither of them as she continued to look at the plane in the sky, with a very specific banner trailing behind it. 

**Will you marry me L. S.?**

"Do you think it's for you? It could stand for Lauren Sinclair" kym asked after a couple seconds; desperately trying to hide the excitement in her voice. She was near jumping now, and she wasn't even the one that got engaged. 

" **First of all** , my full name is Lauren Elizabeth Sinclair. **Second of all** , I'm not going to marry someone who can't even spell my name right. **Lastly** , do you know how many names make up L. S.? A lot" Lauren corrected without stopping for breath, then proceeded to ask William if planes needed a permit. 

Later on, Kieran repeatedly hit his head at a lamp post when kym informed him of Lauren's response. 

* * *

For their 2 year anniversary, and after 2 years of begging, Kieran and Lauren finally went on a date at one of Ardahlis' finest diners. Lauren was not too happy with the restaurant choice (Kieran being Kieran _HAD_ to pick the most expensive one), but still went along. 

"What dessert do you want? I think that the triple chocolate roll is nice" it would be nicer when they get it at the end of the night though. 

"Nah, I won't have any" Lauren politely rejected, still flipping through the menu. 

" _Really? Why?_ " _Oh god, did his voice crack?_ He hopes that it didn't. Even with the slightest change in pitch, Lauren would hear it, and that would lead to another interrogation date. Surprises were completely **impossible** around her. 

"I just got off my appointment at the dentist yesterday. You drove me there remember?" _True_ , he did. He's going to go with plan B then. 

"Right... how about some champagne?" No lie, he was beginning to get desperate. 

"I'm on an alcohol and soda free diet right now. Did you forget?" As adorable as her smile was, he couldn't help but feel a little depressed. He wanted his proposal to be perfect, and nothing out of place. There are other opportunities, he supposed. 

"Kind of, yeah we'll have water and no desserts" he leaned toward the waiter and whispered in a low tone. "Please just hide the ring. I'll leave a huge tip later" 

"Understood sir" the waiter left, leaving him alone with his still-girlfriend telling him a story about a white-haired boy that she's been concerned to her whole life. 

_Other opportunities._

* * *

"Have you ever danced with the devil in the moonlight" he offered out his hand, placing the charming, yet ineffective, smile on his face. 

The dusty library of the Hawkes Manor was not an ideal place to dance, but there was enough space for them to lightly dance through. 

"One or twice" she took his hand, and lightly swayed to the soft beat of the party at the back garden. 

This time, all went well, if not for the fact that she fell half asleep on his shoulder, not allowing him to pull put the ring on his pocket, then all went well. 

* * *

"You know what, I'm done with waiting" Lauren admitted, still leaning against his arm. They were walking back to the Sinclair Manor, well, supposed to be. They took a very long shortcut through the shopping center, sidewalk stalls, and the mini forest at Central park. 

"For what?" He asked. He doesn't exactly remember making her wait for anything. If anything, she doesn't tell him if she likes something at this point, even more on waiting for something from him.

"Kieran White, will you marry me" a series of words he was supposed to hear from his own voice while on one knee, but it didn't come from him. It came from Lauren, still on her police uniform, hand on his, golden eyes trained on his, and on one knee. 

"What the fuck are you doing?!" He can feel his heartbeat race, the ring on his back pocket just begging to be placed on the fingers holding his. 

"I'm going to ask again, will you-" she never took her eyes off his. Gold against Azure. 

"Of course I will! Now get up!" He practically lifted her up, and twirled her around; like he was the one on his knees moments ago. 

"Why did you do that?!" He was sure that he had woken up a few birds from falling into a peaceful slumber. He took out the ring, enjoying the look of delight on his fiances face. 

"You were taking too long to propose, so I thought I might as well do it." She shrugged, like it was the most normal answer. 

"What do you mean I was taking too long?! I literally rented that plane to ask you, and then I took you on the fancy restaurant date thing, and then-" he started off slightly angry because he wanted the perfect proposal, but you really couldn't help him from laughing along with Lauren. 

_They walk side by side, arm in arm, future forever intertwined._

"What did you mean by plane?" 

"The plane over you patrol that one time" 

"That was you?!" 

"Of course it was me, who else would try to embarrass you in public and still live?" He laughs slightly, stopping immediately when he saw her glare. 

"Not for long" 

"Ten second head start ?" He offered, already a mile away from her. 

"Ten, nine, eight..." she counted down. Not bothering to wait 'till one, she runs after him; twigs and leaves crunching against her boots. He gets out of the mass of trees, and into the open space of the park. He extends his hand, catching the warm glow of the sunset. 

_Just like in her dreams. He's going to disappear once she's an inch away from him._

"Did you finally fall for me Officer?" She opens her eyes, feeling Kieran's arms around her, and a slight sting on her ankle. She must've tripped on one of the larger roots sticking out of the ground. 

"No" she lies easily, picking herself up, but not getting out of Kieran's arms. 

"Lying to your future husband, really?" He held up her hand, fingers playing with the engagement ring. It fits perfectly. 

"You wouldn't be able to tell, subordinate" he doesn't have her ability, but he knows her better than herself to know what was a lie or not. 

_An entire lifetime huh?_

~The End~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really tried my best for this chapter, that's why it took 2 weeks, and I think it turned out quite good. 
> 
> I normally keep my authors note short, but I'll make an exception for this one, 
> 
> I know that I'm not very active on the discord, nor do I post snippets that much (blame entirely on my anxiety dw); but I have so much fun watching the chaos break out from chat room 1 then slowly invade the rest of the discord (fan theories was safe during hiatus but became the latest victim). All the crack fics, all the AU's, the ruffles theory, all of them are so much fun to read and an amazing distraction from the hell that is currently going on in the world. 
> 
> Writing this, and being in the ph fandom, has been fun, what-the-hell-put-it-back-to-where-you-got-it-before-it-drags-us-all-down-to-hell-with-it, tears, I-thought-that-this-was-dead-who-brought-it-back-to-life?!, meeting new people with similar interests, panic mode when a new episode/season drops, delete-the-server emote, finding so many talented artists and writers, trying to stay away from illiteracy but failing in the end, and did mention fun? 
> 
> As I had said in another authors note back then, this is my very first fanfic and has seriously helped me through quarantine and keep my mental health stable. So a big THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! For everyone who keep reading this, even if my writing is mediocre compared to the rest of the authors in this wonderful fandom.
> 
> I am so happy to finally finish CCM. And one last thank you for reading ❤️❤️❤️
> 
> (BTW, if you're wondering why I put in the BellaSake wedding scene instead of a lauki or Kywi, I made the plans for this when it was still cursed and still not widely accepted by the fandom. Ah, how times pass. It is basically cannon now-along with Hermarch (no hate to the ships though, for me its just...) So of course I had to add it in. 
> 
> If you saw the snippet I posted on discord (then I immediately deleted), it featured the first paragraph for the BellaSake wedding, but, I think, everyone assumed that it was for Lauki or Kywi. I am still dying from writing that scene
> 
> Some of you don't know, but the wedding invitation was made by obvioluna back in July? Or June? And I scrolled through the purple hyacinth discord for 2 hours, just to find the wedding invitation and other arts. No joke, 2 hours of searching chat room 1, art gallery, meme room, and the fanfic discussion channels. That 2 hours are different from the hours I spent on finding other pictures too.)


	16. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TWO SOULS SOULS
> 
> WHEN TWO SOULS ARE MEANT TO CONNECT: LOCATION, TIMING AND CIRCUMSTANCES ARE ALL IRRELEVANT. THEY SUDDENLY BECOME A MAGNET FOR ONE ANOTHER AND DESPITE THEIR EFFORTS TO FIGHT IT, THE UNIVERSE SOMEHOW MANIPULATES IT ALL IN THEIR FAVOR AND IN THAT MOMENT, WHEN THEY FINALLY GIVE IN, A NEW LOVE IS BORN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to @Baka is super lazy on discord for beta-reading the previous chapter.

"I just want coffee" Lauren grumbled, back hunched with exhaustion. Beside her, Sophia White only smiled at her mother's coping mechanism from detective work. 

They were walking back from the station, headed for an aimless stroll through town before going home. They take up a familiar route, towards an also familiar cafe. They subconsciously fastened their pace when the smell of freshly brewed coffee and sugar-coated treats didn't engulf them with the turn in Rose Street. 

"Oh, it's closing" A large closing sign was hung up in the large pane window, doors bolted with chains and locks. A pang of sadness and disappointment hit Sophie as she knew the importance of the cafe was to her parents.

"But why? It was doing pretty well" at least, that's what she would like to think. She never really paid much attention. They would've been losing sales for years, and she wouldn't notice. 

"Could be any reason. Let's just go home I need to cook dinner" Lauren turns her heels, decidedly losing her interest for coffee. 

"Mom, yesterday was the 3rd time you've set the stove on fire, this MONTH. We'll get pizza tonight" she reminded her mother. It wasn't like she could talk, but she wasn't the one that burned spaghetti last night. 

"You're no better than me Sophie" 

"Apple doesn't fall far from the tree" 

* * *

Placing her laptop down, she patiently taps the table, waiting for her brother to respond to the call. The screen goes static for a few second before she is met face to face with her older brother. 

Nathaniel White was attending college somewhere in America, she doesn't really remember where. All she does remember is that they call each other every 2 weeks. _Today was officially the first time they've been apart for so long._

"How's college going?" She tried to sound interested in what he was about to say, but she really couldn't be bothered right now. She was still upset over the cafe closing. 

"It feels like I'm just babysitting Ava from killing the professors" Nathaniel responds in an exhausted tone. 

"Ava Randall?" She can now only imagine the amount of stress coming his way. Ava combined with schoolwork equals insanity in 3 months tops. 

"Yeah, I see her around much" he moves to the side and pulls out a Starbucks coffee cup. He takes a couple sips, sighing deeply afterwards. 

_He's already starting to take coffee! Forget 3 months, He was not going to last much longer._

"Why do you look so sad?" She has to admit, she was not expecting him to notice so soon. 

"You know our favorite cafe? It's closing down" no point in keeping secrets from him. He was bound to find out soon anyway. 

"Bummer" It was their family's meet-up place. It was close to their school, the police station, and the law firm. Sometimes that's where they would have dinner, sometimes they would just stumble there without even realizing it. The staff even remembers them as one of their regular. It was also where she first worked at... **Wait**. 

"Hey, I got an idea. I'll call you back" before he could respond, she cut off the call. Grabbing her phone by the bedside table, she prepares her contacts. It was going to be a long day. 

* * *

"Bye mom! Bye dad! See you tonight!" Sophie yelled at the top of her lungs before running out of the house; leaving her parents, for once, alone in the house since she graduated a month ago. 

"Have you noticed that she's been acting weird lately?" Kieran asked, picking up Sophie's cup of coffee. 

"Hm?" Lauren looked up from underneath her hat, readjusting the piles of paperwork on Kieran's briefcase. 

"Going home exhausted, recent fear for pens and signatures, and most importantly, she gets up before 7" he took a sip from his coffee, and shook his head "That's not normal. We need to get her checked"

"Let's see how long it'll last first. Could just be another phase, or... she's going on a date" she gave a smirk, patiently waiting for his reaction. It was a far fetched idea. She was too well dressed when she goes out in the mornings. Not in a T-shirt and jeans, no, she wears pencils skirts and blazers. Not one you would see in a date, even a serious one. She looked like she was going to an office; and Sophia White **hates** offices. 

"What?" Taking another sip of his coffee; he leans against the counter, only mildly concerned of his wife's stare

"You don't have a problem with her dating?" She asked slowly, not expecting the lack of reaction. Kieran SPOILS Sophie,and he was completely overprotective of her. 

"I'm fine with her dating, that's normal... But she's not getting a boyfriend 'till she's 45" he admitted. To this day, he has not liked any of the guys his daughter admits to be dating. Lauren only let out a small chuckle, tying her hair up in a lose ponytail,then leaning against the kitchen counter. 

"I knew it. Kym owes me 10 bucks. See you tonight" It was a bet made all the way back on the reception of their wedding so only she can remember. They stand there in silence for a few minutes, savoring the last bit of peace until their daily sense of responsibility comes back up. 

* * *

The typical time to get up on a Saturday morning was 10 AM in the Sinclair-White Household. Yet it was only 7 when a knock woke up 2 of its residents. 

"Dad get up! We're going to be late!" Sophie shook both her parents awake, and tried to pull her father out of the sheets. 

"It's okay to be late Sophie. Your father was late to our first date, and look where we are now" Lauren sleepily reassured her daughter, pulling a pillow over her head

"25 years of marriage, 2 kids, and still can't get up early on a Saturday morning" she retorts, unimpressed. She knows that weekdays were exhausting for both of them, but that shouldn't be an excuse for them to sleep in. Especially in special days like this. "Dad, get up" 

"Sophie, I love you with all my heart, but get the fuck away from me" he snuggled closer to his wife's thick red hair, and whispered in the most parental voice "I don't wanna have to hurt you" 

"Well, you both have a day off today, so come at my new work place!" She continues to nudge them both, they groan in annoyance, turning to the other side of the bed in sync. 

"You don't have a job," Lauren corrected, prying her hair away from her husband's face; only leading him to bury his face even further. 

"Well I do now. Let's go!" Sophia White gabbed her father by the arm and pulled him out of bed. That... was not a good idea. Half of the neighborhood was awoken by the sound of doors slamming, and orders to put the gun down. 

* * *

Silence filled the car as they drove, Sophie giving directions, Lauren driving, and Kieran trying not to kill every pedestrian he sees. 

Sophie's directions brought them to the cafe, now with a bright red ribbon at the front and a new banner. People were gathering around waiting for the re-opening of their favorite cafe. 

"Surprise!" She yelled as they all got out of the car.

"You got it to open up?" Kieran asked. She nodded, nearly jumping in enthusiasm. 

"How did you get it to open up again?" 

"Well, I just wanted to know why it was closing, but the owner thought I was interested buying it, so I just went on with the flow" she grinned to herself. Half truth. Her mother wouldn't be able to detect it. 

"Alright...Where did you get the money from this?" Although, the lie was undetected; her mother was still skeptical 

"I um,... took a loan from... the bank" she didn't think that she would actually say those words, nor see her mother get angry at them. 

"Why would you do that?! You're 19!" 

"I'm an adult mom!" She doesn't like saying it, and she never will. This is one of the few times in her life that she will admit that fact. 

"Darling, calm down. Let's just be happy for Sophie. I'm sure she knows what she's doing" 

" _Mostly_ " she muttered to herself. 

"What was that?" This time, it was her dad that had the sharp tone in his voice

"I said, let's cut the ribbon!" She rushed over to the bright red ribbon in front of the cafe. A couple people talked to her on the way, but found herself smiling for the camera while her parents beside her. Confused, but still proud. 

They opened the cafe, and the first batch of customers rushed in. The staff, already used to rush hour, immediately worked to fill in the orders. She stands at the side, watching as everything go down like usual, but it was different this time. She was the owner and manager this time. 

"Do you even have any idea how to run a business?" A voice whispered in her ear.Already used to the assasin-like surprises, she gives her father a fake annoyed scrowl

"Dad, don't call me out like this" he only laughed, moving back to their table. She understood what he was trying to say. They will always be there, and willing to help her in any way. _She thinks. Quits hard to tell actually._

Deep in thought, she failed to notice the falling coffee cup in her direction. The culprit was Alexis Hawkes, shocked and appeared to have dozed off. Far from behind, Cecilia Hawkes was running away from the scene of the crime she most likely committed. 

"It is literally the first day and you try to spill coffee on me?" She asks. He panics for a while, turning his head from side to side. 

"Sorry, sorry, I'll clean it up" before she could respond, he comes back with a mop, and a handful of towels. 

"You don't need to-" she was handed the towels, pushed off to the side as he tried to mop the contents of the cup off the floor. 

"No, I got it" he has never held a mop before in his life, but he surprisingly cleaned it up with ease, and time to spare on apologizing to Sophia

"That looks familiar, doesn't it mon amour?" Kieran asked, fondly staring at his confused daughter, and the apologetic boy. 

"Slightly" she took a sip from her coffee, replaying the day she nearly got berated by Hermann, _again_ , and met her future husband. 

"Now that I remember it, you never gave me the bag back!" He gasped and took his wife's hands, massively panicking at the realization. 

"What?" 

"The Channel bag! I just borrowed it from Bella" to say that he was breathless would be an understatement. Because if-forget if, it's **WHEN** Bella remembers, he would be found dead in an abandoned alleyway 

"I thought you got it back!" She exclaimed in defense. Old bets she can remember, but the bag that brought her and her husband together? Completely forgettable. 

As old flowers continue to grow, new flowers also start to bloom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Total time of procrastination in this is: 316 hours since the last chapter was uploaded.
> 
> ~~I low-key wanna write Alexis having dinner over at the Sinclair-White household after he asks Sophie to be his girlfriend ,but no~~
> 
> Ty for reading! ❤️

**Author's Note:**

> You're not obligated to read this but I just want to say that this webtoon has really pushed me to do some things that I have never done before and I have been part of hundreds of fandoms before but this is the only one I felt the need to make a fanfic of. This is by far the best story telling I have ever seen and this little fanfic will NEVER bring enough justice to how beautiful Purple hyacinth is. This may not even be read by anyone but at least I can go to sleep knowing that I have done something to justify how absolutely beautiful this webtoon is... this ended up pretty long


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